Everybody contributes in different ways

I’m 67 years old and have lived with MS for 43 years. I’ve been a full-time wheelchair user for 15 years. I worked in the oil and gas industry until age 57 when I took an early retirement package. 

One of the activities I’d planned for retirement was volunteering. I’d been a member of the East Berkshire Group since 2008. But I had no time free for taking part other than to attend the occasional evening event. After retirement in 2015, I went to the group’s weekly coffee mornings. And after a few months was asked by the then Group Coordinator if I’d join the team as Admin Volunteer. 

Our group runs a weekly coffee morning in Maidenhead and a monthly coffee morning in the Windsor area. We also fund monthly physiotherapy in Crowthorne and Maidenhead. And every year, we lay on a Christmas lunch, a summer tea and a boat trip on the river from Henley. The group has around 170 members who we keep informed through a quarterly newsletter. 

Plans and challenges

Thanks to some legacies and generous donations, our finances are in good health. We make regular donations to support MS research. But we’re keen to use more of our funds to expand the activities we offer. We ran a survey of members’ views and requirements to check our current activities are being well received and to help build our future plan. We found there’s a lot of interest in learning events involving speakers such as medical specialists. 

One of our challenges is geography. The group has two populations — one in the south around Ascot and Bracknell and one in the north in the Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead area. In between lies countryside with very few members. Having no central locations makes it difficult to hold events convenient to all. 

Another challenge is that we have only four volunteers in the Coordinating Team. To expand our activities, we really need another one or two, so we can share out tasks without overwhelming anyone.

Taking the helm

Because our group doesn’t have a Group Coordinator, I effectively take on that role. I’ve been involved with the group for much longer than our other three volunteers, who have between six and 18 months experience. So, while they grow into their roles, it seems sensible that I take the lead. Leadership and motivation in an environment where no-one's paid is an interesting challenge that I’m exploring, gently.

The planning, risk management and teambuilding skills gained during my long career have certainly been useful in the Coordinating Team. It also helps that I’m naturally well organized and make best use of IT solutions whenever I can. 

Keeping things going

My greatest volunteering achievement is playing a key role in keeping the group alive. In late 2023, volunteers who’d run the team for many years stood down, leaving me and our Group Coordinator, who then resigned. With help from the MS Society’s Volunteer Support Team we slowly recruited three excellent new volunteers and began to rebuild our activity offering. 

The group could’ve closed but I helped get it through that rocky patch. We can now have confidence in the future and our ability to offer activities in support of everybody impacted by MS. But it's a team effort. 

Our Communications Volunteer recontacted our members and restarted regular newsletters. And, stepping out of his role, he restarted both our physio groups and led on our Cost of Living Grants programme. Our Finance Volunteer supported the grants project and brought the group into the era of online banking and payment for services. And our new Fundraising Volunteer has organised our first supermarket collection for many years.

Re-learning old lessons

When I retired I was looking for something to replace work in giving me a sense of purpose. Volunteering has done that. It’s allowed me to re-kindle the determination I had in my work life to find creative solutions to problems. 

Being challenged is good for the mind, whatever your age. 

It’s also re-taught me the lesson that everybody contributes in different ways. So you need to be patient and tolerant, and embrace diversity. I’d realised this for decades at work. But sometimes it’s as important to relearn old lessons as it is to learn new ones.

Most of all, freely giving something back to help others has been very fulfilling. And a great way to meet people and make new friends.

Find out more about volunteering with us