Thank you volunteers
One of my favourite walks is through the Chedworth Nature Reserve in Gloucestershire. Not only is it a great chance to see wildlife — I’ve seen owls, deer, foxes, hares and buzzards (for starters) but it also incorporates part of the abandoned Midland and South Western Junction Railway (the tunnel being home to many bats too). Walking along its length, I’m incredibly aware of the huge amount of hard work that the many labourers must have put in to create the cuttings, bridges and tunnels for a railway that ran for only 70 years. Similarly, I’m full of respect for not only the staff but also the volunteers at the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust who maintain this site for so many of us to enjoy. This in turn made me think about how much is made possible through the hard work of volunteers, for example –
Another of my favourite local walks through Lineover Wood is maintained through the help of Woodland Trust volunteers.
The amazing work done by the Focus charity at the oncology department at Cheltenham General Hospital would not be possible without the many volunteers and I’m proud to say that my wife works there and both my ‘children’ (they’re both at University so not really children anymore) volunteered there during the summer.
So why do people volunteer? Why do so much work without pay?
No doubt there are a myriad of psychological reasons why but I think they can all be condensed in to one. They care.
There may be many different things they care about — people, places, nature, society. They are socially responsible.
John F. Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country”. This, in a nutshell, sums up the spirit of volunteering and we can all do our bit. A volunteer does something voluntarily. If you are not a volunteer then you can still do something voluntarily in any setting to make a difference to others and the environment.
Voluntarily offer to help someone at work who may benefit from your experience or knowledge. It may make their time at work better and in turn they may make someone else’s life better too.
Voluntarily pick up some litter (COVID safely!) and put it in the bin.
Voluntarily appreciate good deeds, say thank you and be kind.
So, thank you to volunteers — whoever you are and in whatever setting you are volunteering.
You are an inspiration to us all.
