Keith was 58 when he was made redundant from his job at a factory in Birmingham in 2008. Feeling apprehensive about the future and unsure about what to do next, Keith walked into BVSC, his local Volunteer Centre and hasn’t looked back.
After a chat about the kinds of things he was interested in, Keith signed up to become a volunteer for Age Concern where he now volunteers for two days every week.
Having worked as a builder and a factory worker for 30 years, Keith feels that vounteering “has opened a whole new world for me. They wouldn’t have to pay me to do it, it’s made my life a whole lot better. Other people feel that their life is finished if they’re made redundant in later life, but I’ve found my niche. I should have done this years ago!”
Keith volunteers at a day centre for older people and particularly enjoys his conversations with Phil. Despite Phil being an Aston Villa supporter which sometimes grates with Keith’s allegiance to Birmingham City, Keith says that they “have a laugh together which makes me feel useful and I probably get even more out of it than the older people do!”
Keith is so positive about volunteering and the difference it has made to his life that he has gone on to find other ways to support his favourite charities.
Running the London Marathon to raise money for the Lung Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Society, Keith remembers his own father’s advice about “getting out of life what you put in”. Talking about his fundraising activities, Keith says “As I said to a paramedic on the marathon circuit, next year I’ll need a smaller bucket as it gets heavier the more people give. I collected £450 and this paid for all the older people to get out and enjoy a meal together, to buy an electro-bingo machine and to get some supplies for the art classes.”
Volunteering for the last 18 months has also given Keith the confidence to sign up for some courses at his local college. Hoping to get a social care qualification, Keith is taking some English improvement classes first. Refusing to let his dyslexia get in the way, Keith is now reading more books than ever before.and sitting down with a good sports book is what Keith enjoys most… when he’s not volunteering of course!
