We help in the foodbank and café using our time giving that Beaverbrooks gives us. I absolutely love helping people in their time of need and speaking to all the different people who come to use the facilities. It's so rewarding, and I am very grateful to work for a fabulous company who encourages and supports us in helping others.""

Each month, we visit their studios locally and read through the Which? Consumer magazine which is recorded and then digitally uploaded onto a DAP (Digital Audio Plug) to be sent out to hundreds of listeners in the local area who may struggle otherwise to read their favourite newspapers and magazines independently.

The gift of sight is one that is very easy to take for granted and something that I personally couldn’t imagine having to live without. I enjoy reading and so once I’d been introduced to this charity by our charity team, I knew it was something I could support and contribute to whilst making a difference to those people reliant on this service.

Beaverbrooks is proud to support this local charity both financially but also crucially by giving us the opportunity to give our time to them and it certainly does give you a sense of pride to be able to give something back to the local community."

In the spring of 2004, my husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 46 and in December 2005 we learned that his cancer was terminal. When it came to the end of his life, he wanted to be at home with his family so of course we wanted to fulfil that wish for him. The Marie Curie nurses came to our house during the night to care for him so that we could get some rest and I was so grateful for this.

On the night that he passed away the nurse was there to care for him and for me and our four children, supporting us through a most difficult night and we will never be able to thank her enough for this. My daughter Beth Lucas and I both felt that we wanted to give something back to the charity and so we joined the local fundraising group to raise funds for this amazing charity. We help to organise all kinds of events from fashion shows to afternoon teas, table top sales and pub quizzes."

The calls we take as volunteers vary from lonely people wanting to hear a friendly voice, to those that are more distressed and are at an extremely low point.

Sometimes it can be hard to listen to and challenging to deal with. You get to speak to people from all different backgrounds. It is a great feeling when a call has started with a person crying and it ends on a laugh, with the person saying how much the call has helped them - it’s very rewarding.

There is six months of training before you are left to go solo on calls, working either a three or four hour shift per week. There’s one shift per month classed as “hours of need”, when the cover is from 9pm until 4am. After each shift, we get a wellbeing call to ensure we are ok too!

Calls to the service are up 37% since 2020 and there is now web chat too, so there is no such thing as a quiet shift. Anyone interested in volunteering, I recommend Samaritans.”

We attend a clinic on a Thursday Morning at The Royal Surrey Hospital, providing tea or coffee and overall, just being there for them. You get a sense of fulfilment when you know you can put a smile on someone's face when times are not so good. Volunteering has opened a vast number of opportunities for my team and I, you get a real sense of purpose and gratitude just to be able to give something back. We are employed by an amazing company who allows us to do this with charity time giving.