AS pressure on health and social care services increases, more volunteers are stepping forward to offer their time.

Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), one of the UK’s largest volunteer charities, reported recently that more than 4.7 million people aged 55 and over said that they intend to volunteer in 2017. The charity supports 100,000 older people a month in the community, at home and in hospital and has a number of volunteers in Hampshire.

RVS provides a host of services and activities for volunteers to get involved with, supported by funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. RVS companionship and driving services, lunch clubs and social clubs are popular with older people in Hampshire and provide opportunities for volunteers of all ages to get involved with their local community.

There is a range of skills that people can gain and improve on while volunteering. It can also be an opportunity to discover hidden talents. Volunteering offers a space in which to gain new skills, connect with new people, experience something different, and give back to the community.

Nin Clarke, volunteer co-ordinator for the Hampshire Good Neighbours service said: “I visit older people in their own homes to carry out initial assessment, find out a little bit more about them and their current situation in order to see how RVS might be able to help. I enjoy the opportunity of meeting a variety of older people who have lived such varied and interesting lives and I often come away feeling quite humbled but also uplifted.

“Some people think that it might be depressing to visit older people who may find themselves isolated or housebound but that is not the case at all. There is a lot of laughter, reminiscing and storytelling and it feels very positive to feel that at the end of the assessment that there is something we can offer to make a real difference.”

RVS has always believed in the ethos that sharing time saves lives and the 35,000 men and women – more than half of them aged over 65 – who give their time to help others, make a huge difference to older people’s lives. These two-way relationships benefit both parties and many wonderful friendships have formed.

For more details about volunteering opportunities in Hampshire, call the Royal Voluntary Service on 01264 317080, e-mail [email protected], or visit the website royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk.