International Volunteering Day, organsised by the United Nations, is on Saturday 5th December 2020. We have a large number of staff at Thomson Cooper who volunteer for various organisations in their local communities throughout the year. Here, we celebrate and thank those who volunteer, and share the stories of two team members who helped out during the pandemic.
Ian Brown – Senior Insolvency Manager
Having had personal experience caring for my dad who lived with dementia, I was delighted to be able to volunteer to help deliver meals to vulnerable people during the first national lockdown. Over that period, with many other volunteers, we were able to deliver almost 5500 lunches.
Each week I would turn up at the centre, collect the lunches I had to deliver and head off. It was great to meet so many lovely people who were very grateful to receive a meal and have a quick, socially distanced, chat.
One gentleman, I remember well, would always be waiting at his door as I turned up. We got into a very good routine. I tried to make sure to time it to the same time each week as he would sit outside his house in his wheelchair waiting for his lunch; always with a patient smile, when I was slightly late! Overall it was a wonderful experience and I was very proud and surprised to receive a certificate at the end. I’ll certainly be volunteering again in the future as it not only helped other people but, particularly in lockdown, I felt the benefit of face to face social contact as well.
The Eric Liddell Centre is an Edinburgh based care charity and community hub. They work hard to bring communities together and change perceptions of living with dementia, disabilities and mental health issues. https://www.ericliddell.org/
Nicole Menzies – Trainee Tax Assistant
When I was furloughed I volunteered at the Fife Dog Rescue and Rehoming centre in Lochgelly. Twice a week I walked and fed the dogs, cleaned the kennels and gave them one to one attention. The majority of dogs were rescued from Romania and hadn’t had human contact before, so it was very rewarding, especially to see them off to their new homes. Find them on Facebook –
Fife Dog Rescue and Rehoming | Facebook
To learn more about International Volunteer Day visit https://www.unv.org/News/Launch-International-Volunteer-Day-theme-2020