Volunteers Week 2025

This annual celebration is an opportunity to highlight the contribution of volunteers in transforming their communities and making a real difference in the lives of others.

Volunteers are a valued and essential part of the service we provide at Carer Support West Cumbria. All our volunteer roles are designed to support carers health and wellbeing and prevent social isolation, roles include a Sitting Service, Counselling, Benefit Support and helping with a range of Young Carer activities.

During Volunteers Week 2025 (Monday 2 to Sunday 8 June) we will be showcasing the amazing contribution that our volunteers make to the lives of unpaid carers across West Cumbria. Follow us on social media to see their stories!

Facebook and Instagram - @carersupportwestcumbria

If you would like to find out more about joining our incredible team of volunteers visit our volunteering page or call us on 01900 821976.

Sitters

Our nine incredible sitters volunteered 658 hours last year to support unpaid carers! They spend time with the cared for, enabling the unpaid carer to have a much needed break, with peace of mind that the person they care for is safe. We are incredibly grateful to our wonderful team.

Read more about our volunteer sitting service at: carersupportwestcumbria.co.uk/volunteering

Counsellors

We also have a team of volunteer counsellors at Carer Support West Cumbria. These incredible individuals provide one-to-one counselling to unpaid carers who feel in need of a specialist form of therapy as a result of the demands of their caring role. Thanks to their dedication, we delivered 225 hours of counselling support last year alone!

One of our volunteer counsellors, Sara, joined us in September 2024 and has already contributed over 80 hours.

Sara described volunteering as a counsellor as “a privilege to share time with people, exploring together how to make sense of things”.

Counselling provides a space and time to help process what’s going on and find ways to make sense of things. Sara said that she finds volunteering as a counsellor "a real privilege - every session is different, it’s about what each person brings to the session that day and the relationship we build in the space. My aim is to help people find ways to talk about what is going on for them, and that they feel supported while doing so." Sara finds “real value” in volunteering as a counsellor for carers, as the sessions are a chance to “support to those who support others”, giving them the chance to “put themselves first and carve out time to focus on their own wellbeing."

When asked how she finds volunteering at Carer Support West Cumbria, Sara said “I love volunteering here, it’s super friendly and I felt really welcome from the start”. She praised Shirley, our Volunteer Co-Ordinator, for “a great induction”, “amazing communication”, and the project being well organised and well managed. She would recommend to others volunteering at Carer Support West Cumbria.

If you're interested in volunteering, visit carersupportwestcumbria.co.uk/volunteering

If you or someone you know could benefit from counselling, please contact us on 01900 821 976 or visit carersupportwestcumbria.co.uk/how-to-contact

Newsletter Fulfilment

Our fabulous group of newsletter volunteers support the distribution of over 4,800 Adult Carer Newsletters by post every year, taking a total of 45 hours! Without our volunteers, the preparation and posting of the newsletter would be a much longer and harder process. We are incredibly grateful to all the wonderful people who come and help us during this time.

Take a look at our latest newsletter: carersupportwestcumbria.co.uk/post/adult-carer-newsletter-april-2025

Trustees

Last but not at all least, we want to celebrate the amazing contribution made by our trustees - the team of volunteers who lead our charity. Our board of trustees volunteer their time, skills and knowledge to make important decisions about how we run. The skills, viewpoints and experiences of our trustees help make our charity stronger, enabling us to support unpaid carers in West Cumbria the best we can.

Read more about our Board of Trustees at carersupportwestcumbria.co.uk/about-us/meet-the-board

Have you been inspired? Take a look at our volunteering opportunities: carersupportwestcumbria.co.uk/volunteering