Celebrating our incredible volunteer visitors
“I would like to reiterate my immense gratitude, for all that you and Elizabeth Finn and Turn2us have done for me. Many thanks and best wishes too, to Eddie. I much appreciated his sensitivity in dealing with, what was to me, (despite your great kindness) a difficult request.”
Pratibha Udayabhaskar, Turn2us Volunteer Support Officer, highlights the important role our volunteer visitors play in supporting our Grants Department.
At Turn2us, we take great pride in the work we do and celebrate the people who make this possible for us.
We really appreciate the contributions and services of our visitor volunteers who regularly visit our beneficiaries on our behalf and help make grants viable. The relationship they go on to build with the people we help through grants is so special that they are asked to visit them year on year!
Turn2us caseworkers' observations
Below are some observations made by our caseworkers who work very closely with visitors as well as our beneficiaries.
“Our volunteers provide a vital link between those that we help and the organisation, and can provide a lot of insight into the wellbeing of the people we give our grants to. For some of our loneliest beneficiaries, it is the only real meaningful contact they will receive and so their value cannot be underestimated."
"I have had several people tell me they enjoy the visits so much they wish it were a more regular thing. Some of them have no one to talk to and clearly relish having someone come round for a cup of tea and a friendly chat."
“Our volunteers are generally the first person from Turn2us that our beneficiaries will meet face to face and the meeting is normally in the beneficiary’s own home. Our volunteers are vital in making this meeting as comfortable as possible and they are adept at quickly building rapport and an understanding with our beneficiaries. This is such an important link and a great many beneficiaries look forward to the visit and the contact this provides them. I would like to thank our volunteers for their time, empathy and interest.”
‘’The volunteer visitors not only give us useful feedback regarding the needs and wellbeing of our beneficiaries, they also provide a valuable service to vulnerable and often isolated individuals. And make them feel that somebody cares, which means a great deal to them’."
‘’So many of our ongoing beneficiaries immensely value the face-to-face contact with our volunteer at a review visit and the opportunity that this gives them to chat about their most pressing issues and concerns.’’
‘’One volunteer commented about how rewarding it was to return to visit after a year and see improvements in the outlook and mental health of a client. And attributed this to the ongoing relationship with the organisation and the sense of care and support that continuity of contact can provide."
“I am very grateful to all our visitors who kindly volunteer their time and skills to support our work. As poverty can result in social isolation for some, the visits are so important and very much valued by many of our beneficiaries. Thank you volunteers”
Grant recipients
Visitors are the face of Turn2us; supporting our Grants team to reach out to recipients and help them review their cases. Here is an extract from an email we received from a grant recipient which shows that the human interaction is just as important as the financial aid, especially for people living lonely lives.
“I would like to reiterate my immense gratitude, for all that you and Elizabeth Finn and Turn2us have done for me. Many thanks and best wishes too, to Eddie. I much appreciated his sensitivity in dealing with, what was to me, (despite your great kindness) a difficult request.”
Volunteers
A volunteer described the help that a visit has made to a grant recipient as follows: ‘’She is incredibly grateful to Turn2us without which I don’t think she would have ever managed. I am the only person who has visited her in this flat after five years there. She is determined not to sink back into depression so she can go back and do some work.’’
Thank you
We want to thank all our volunteers for their generous and continuous support and we are mindful of the fact that their small acts of kindness can make a big difference in people’s lives. Often more than we can imagine!
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about our volunteering opportunities, visit the volunteering section of our website or contact us via volunteer@turn2us.org.uk or call: 020 8834 9218.