
From Young Carer to Giving Back
I chose to volunteer for Carers Bucks because caring has shaped my life in more ways than one. I was once a young carer myself.
This project exists because volunteering is everywhere, but the people behind it are rarely seen. Across communities, volunteers give their time quietly and consistently, often without recognition and sometimes without realising the impact they’re having themselves.
Volunteer Voices brings together photography and first-person storytelling to listen to the people who keep things going — in food banks, youth groups, heritage spaces, emergency response, community projects, and countless other roles. The focus isn’t on praise or hero narratives, but on honesty: why people volunteer, what it gives them, and what it costs.
The project shows volunteering not as an extra or a nice-to-have, but as part of our social infrastructure. These stories reveal how volunteering shapes confidence, connection, purpose, and belonging — and what would be missing if it stopped.
This is a project about ordinary people doing essential work, and finally being heard.

I chose to volunteer for Carers Bucks because caring has shaped my life in more ways than one. I was once a young carer myself.

I have been volunteering with Carers Bucks for about four years now. Long enough to know exactly where everything lives in the village hall kitchen

I chose to volunteer with Carers Bucks because of something deeply personal. For several years, I watched my stepmother care for my father. Not in

I volunteer every week at Milton Keynes junior parkrun. It’s a free 2K run for kids aged four to fourteen, and honestly, it’s one of

I volunteer at Junior Parkrun — the weekly 2K run where kids turn up every Sunday morning to burn energy, chase personal bests, and start

So, yeah… I guess the best place to start is why I set this whole thing up. And honestly, it goes right back to when

I’ve been volunteering for about two years now… well, two years in October. This is my first proper volunteering role. I’d helped with things before,

My name is Sharon Lawson, and I volunteer with The Parks Trust here in Milton Keynes — the organisation that looks after all the parks

I volunteer for The Parks Trust — the independent charity that looks after more than 6,000 acres of green space here in Milton Keynes. If

I volunteer with Girlguiding, a charity that empowers girls to build confidence, learn new skills and make a positive impact. Each week I help lead