Meet our Volunteers
Our Volunteers
Volunteers are critical to our organisation and we simply couldn’t do what we do, without them.
We want to acknowledge and thank everyone who volunteers for FACT, be it serving tea at an event, helping as a befriender, or providing services to someone in crisis.
Volunteering at FACT has been proven to help make new friends, learn new skills, advance careers, and even feel happier and healthier by reducing stress and giving you a great sense of purpose. With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering can be enormous and in addition to improving your life, it offers vital help to people in need.
Here are some of our volunteer stories:
“Volunteering
When asked why I volunteer my first response was I do not know.
Upon further consideration I realised that I have been involved in voluntary work from my childhood with the war blinded, girl guides working with my parents to teenage support projects in my student years.
Through these experiences I have learnt that supportive communities are important in all our lives and at different times we all have different skills to share.
Volunteering has allowed me to laugh with others and smile through this pandemic having been privileged to help the NHS and support FACT projects in a variety of ways.
Through voluntary work I feel I belong to a variety of communities from Malawi to Elgin and Forres. Recent retirement has opened up more opportunities and I cannot see myself becoming isolated.”
Liz S.
“Before retiring I was the IT Manager of an Engineering Design Company employing over 300 personnel. On retiring I decided I would like to use the skills and knowledge I had amassed, to help others who were starting out on their IT Journey and help them develop and improve their digital skills.
I have been volunteering at Fact with the Forres Online Digital project for more than four years, and in that time, I have assisted many people with their devices from Laptops, Tablets to Smartphones. I have supported them on many occasions with problem solving and improving their digital skills to assist their everyday lives. From Emailing, creating documents, safety & security, accessing information and making video calls.
More recently I have been assisting people remotely and this is proving very popular during these difficult times we are all facing. I also help out within the organization, maintaining IT equipment, updates and helping Staff with IT issues.Volunteering is very rewarding for me personally. I enjoy helping people and it’s great to see so many people now getting online and being able to keep in touch with friends and family, shopping online and more importantly manage their health online, staying independent and informed”
Jamie Nicol
“My happy place is a golden meadow surrounded by thick bushy trees bordered by a sparkling stream under a bright blue sky. FACT has provided me with the stepping-stones to get there. How do I get there? By volunteering, I share my skills and life experiences with others. I appreciate that volunteering is not for everyone but try it and see what it can do for you. What do I do? Well, anything that is needed. Whether it be setting out tables and chairs (after all we need to sit down at meetings) to kitchen work (my background) communication and being a human sign post as to what is happening and when. I do not do it for recognition but because it makes me feel good.
Forres Online is where I spend most of my time; it does not mean I have brilliant digital skills but that personal touch makes all the difference. The food project is where I have invested my time lately. Where we seek to address one of the major problems in our society today, HUNGER. So it may mean opening bags, packing, deliveries and having local knowledge for planning, it is all appreciated. A job well done is reward enough and FACT helps me in ways that are still unfolding.”
Graham Watson