OPINION: It’s not all about grand gestures in life - Karen Weaver, Harrogate and District Community Action

I mentioned my looming deadline to our fab team in passing and hey presto my talented colleague Anna Woollven has stepped in and written this month’s piece for HADCA. Many thanks Anna; what a great start to 2022, to be part of such a supportive team!

Please read on for her suggestions of just some of the many ways you can become part of a team by volunteering, all inspired by a much loved garden bird.

At this cold, dark time of year, our natural instinct may be to follow the lead of hedgehogs: go into hibernation and emerge when the weather gets warmer.

But as I look out into my garden and see a robin busily, and happily, going about its life, I can’t help thinking we would perhaps be wiser to emulate this humble bird’s behaviour: being active and making the most out of the everyday.

That’s not to say we should all be enthusiastically committing ourselves to lots of New Year’s Resolutions, many of which turn out to be unrealistic and, quite frankly, exhausting. It’s not about grand gestures. It’s more about taking the time to discover what we like to do and making small steps to incorporate these into our routine.

In my role at Harrogate and District Community Action, I have met many wonderful and committed volunteers over the years. I often ask them why they volunteer and how they make time for it.

A common reply I receive is: ‘I get just as much out of it as I put in.’ Volunteers also say that the secret to successful volunteering is making the voluntary work fit in with their daily lives, rather than their lives having to fit in around volunteering.

Charities and community organisations recognise that volunteering has to be flexible. So, many roles have no minimum or regular time commitment and can be done both face-to-face and remotely.

If, like the robin, you like to be around people, Artizan International has a great role in its new South American themed café in central Harrogate.

You’ll be helping differently-abled team members to work in the café with anything from making paninis to helping them serve customers.

For more details, contact Sarah Davis at [email protected] or 01423 561556.

And if you like to be here for others, Saint Michael’s Hospice’s Just B Children and Young People’s service is looking for volunteers to provide 1:1 support to youngsters living with bereavement.

They are offering full training to any new recruits and more details are available at https://saintmichaelshospice.org/support-our-work/volunteer/

One way to get out and about like our active feathered friend is to become a volunteer car driver. Our HELP service is currently in real need of drivers to meet growing demand. In this role, you will be helping local people without access to transport to make both essential and social journeys. Again, this role can be done at times to suit you and with no minimum time commitment.

More details about these Harrogate and Ripon-based roles are available from [email protected] or 01423 813090.

So, this New Year why not #BeMoreRobin? Whether your aim is to be more active, more content or just be around more for others, there is a local volunteering role to suit you.

Take a look at our online volunteering directory for more inspiration and don’t forget we have a jobs page too, both via www.hadca.org.uk