Celebrating some of Rasen's volunteers

This week - June 1 to June 7 - is Volunteers Week and with 121 volunteers working across the charity, from retail to befriending, they are celebrating the work they do.

Nicki Lee, Service Manager for Volunteers said: “Volunteering is very rewarding and we have people of all ages and with different skills who all come for different reasons.

“Volunteers Week is a national week of celebration recognising the fantastic achievements our volunteers make, and thanking them for their commitment to our charity.

“Without their support and help, the charity would be very different.”

A majority of the Age UK Lindsey volunteers are to be found helping staff across the charity’s seven shops.

Barbara Hackney, who works in the Market Rasen shop, took up volunteering after the death of her good friend seven years ago.

And she has found it to be very rewarding.

“It’s broadened my horizons and made me a lot happier in myself and its great meeting people,” she said.

“Everyone is so good and when you’ve got a lovely team to work with it’s even better.”

Sales assistant at the Market Rasen shop, Angela Barnes-Milford started out as a volunteer more than seven years ago.

She was introduced to volunteering by a friend.

“Before my husband died last year I was his carer and volunteering was a way of being able to get out the house and meet new people,” she said.

“I enjoyed the volunteering as it was a like a drug.

“Even when it was my day off I would turn up at the shop and get roped into doing things.

“The transition to being a staff member was easy, as I was already doing the job.”

“Volunteering is very rewarding and we always need people with a variety of skills to assist us in helping the older people in East and West Lindsey.”

Age UK Lindsey is an independent charity to the national Age UK, though they share the same mission and goals and have a brand partner agreement with them.

Visit the website or Facebook page to find out more.

If you have been inspired to want to volunteer for Age UK Lindsey, then contact Nicki Lee on 01507 524242.