Sarah’s Volunteering experience

Volunteering with Aberlour has been a truly eye-opening experience. Over the year and a half that I have spent with Aberlour, I have been helping a young girl become more confident and independent in herself and have been learning more about myself along the way. Volunteering has taught me more about patience and gratitude and has overall been an extremely rewarding experience.

I have enjoyed every moment of being a befriender and have done many different things such as trampolining, shopping, arts and crafts, and eating! During the pandemic, myself and the girl whom I am befriending had to switch our weekly activities to weekly phone calls instead. Although I believed this would have been tough, it proved not to be, and we found many things to do over the phone such as quizzes and a lot of riddles.

Aberlour also makes you feel valued as a volunteer. I was given a care package during lockdown which included a t-shirt, chocolates, and a colouring-in sheet along with coloured pens! I also had the opportunity to attend the Lion King show in Edinburgh which unfortunately got cancelled due to the pandemic. They also have a yearly award ceremony to celebrate the staff and volunteers and the work that they do.

I feel extremely lucky to volunteer for such a caring and supportive charity, not only in the work they do for the children and families but for the way they support their volunteers and look after them. I would highly recommend anyone considering volunteering with Aberlour to do so! You will be helping people in need but also learning more about yourself as you do so

– Sarah, Aberlour Volunteer Befriender