Volunteer with My Life

We love our volunteers

As a community-based organisation, we are very grateful to have lots of help from volunteers.

We were proud to be awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019, in recognition of the valuable work that our volunteers do.

This is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK, which recognises outstanding work done in their own communities.

Why volunteer with My Life?

Whether you want to do something fulfilling, meet new people, boost your confidence, learn new skills, even add to your CV and job prospects, there are lots of reasons why people volunteer at My Life.

Volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers’ wellbeing, as well as others too.

Who are our volunteers?

So, what kind of person volunteers to help here at My Life? The answer is simple – any kind of person.

We recognise that everyone has their own skills, gifts and talents, be they emotional, like kindness and empathy, or more organisational and practical, the list is endless.

When they arrive at My Life, some of our volunteers discover skills that they don’t even realise they have! 

Meet our volunteers

As a volunteer at My Life you’ll probably get to try your hand at lots of things. Our ethos is that everyone ‘mucks in,’ which is why you might find our CEO Caroline in with the horses, leading an activity, or serving food at one of our events.

Below are just a few of our army of volunteers.

Rob Aspinall

Having initially trained as an upholsterer, Rob since worked as a professional driver, following the upholstery trade’s downward turn in the nineties.

Despite working long hours, Rob has always continued to use his upholstery skills in a bid to one day return to the upholstery trade, using his creativity to create custom seating for camper vans, horse boxes and cars. 

Following an accident in 2017, Rob decided to return to what he does best, and we have been lucky enough to have had him here working on some of My Life’s site improvements.

Amongst many other things, Rob has helped to transform our site by using recyclable materials such as pallet wood to create items including beautiful wooden planters, recycling bins and classroom display boards, He has also recovered some very tired looking chairs!

Of his volunteering at My Life, Rob says: “I enjoy sharing my knowledge and skills with others and look forward to having fun with the members, completing upcycling projects whilst helping to protect the environment.”

Jane Evans

An administrator for Baxi Boilers, Jane found herself at a loose end when the Covid-19 pandemic left her in lockdown. As Jane says, “I have always worked and it felt unreal sitting at home every day.”  

Jane discovered that there were opportunities at My Life and has not looked back since, having helped out on reception, worked with our members and mucked in to get our wonderful site ready for the rest of our members to return.

Describing her time with us, Jane says:

“My first day at My Life, as I walked onto the site, I felt a sense of freedom, with the open fields and great views of the countryside. The staff are so friendly, hardworking and professional and what an amazing job the cleaners do, making everywhere germ free. I’ve loved every minute in the amazing world of My Life and would like to thank everyone for making me so welcome.”

Martin Bint

Martin began volunteering at My Life after being put on Furlough from his job as a bus driver for Stagecoach during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since arriving here, he has played a key part in the transformation of the site, preparing it for the return of our members, making raised beds and trellis for vegetables, repairing our duck house and creating a train from recycled wood with carriages to put flowers in, to name but a few tasks!

Martin says: “You get great satisfaction out of the varied jobs that you can do here and if you can’t do something there is always someone who can help. You are very much appreciated by other staff members and in particular Caroline, My Life’s CEO. I’ve really enjoyed being part of the My Life lockdown journey and making the site look amazing ready for the staff and members to come back to and enjoy.”

How do I apply to volunteer?

If you’re interested in volunteering at My Life, we’d love to hear from you.

You can apply online here, or call us on 01257 472 900 or email info@my-life.org.uk for more information.