Volunteer Stories

Volunteers' Week 2026 I'm Shannon Sutherland, 28, mum of 2 and I volunteer for Rogart Gala as Secretary and I'm also Chair of the Rogart Play Park Committee. I have been volunteering with the Rogart Gala since December 2016, and the play park is a new project that started about two years ago which we hope to have complete this year. For me, volunteering means making a difference in your community for positive change and also gaining skills and experiences yourself. I enjoy

Volunteers' Week 2026 I’m Chris and I volunteer as a mentor with Lochaber Hope. I’ve been volunteering there for just over two years now. I originally got involved because Lochaber Hope had supported me myself during some challenging circumstances, so I already knew how great the organisation was. I’ve always been receptive to volunteering and I’ve also benefitted from other people volunteering throughout my life. A mentoring qualification opportunity came up through them and

Volunteers' Week 2026 I'm Kristina and I'm a Therapet volunteer along with my dachshund Elsie. I decided to start volunteering with Elsie because she has a lovely temperament and is quite the lap dog. I wanted to share some of the joy she brings me with others. I love seeing the smiles on people's faces when they see Elsie and watching people interact with her. All the attention makes Elsie so happy, and she is constantly wagging her tail. Just seeing people enjoy cuddles wit

Volunteers' Week 2026 Hi, I'm Anne-Marie, based in Wick, Caithness. I volunteer as a breastfeeding peer support worker for NHS Highland. There is a small team of us that cover the whole of the Highlands on a rota system, offering peer support to new mums (and their partners) throughout their breastfeeding journey. When delivering my wee boy, there were some complications that if it was not for the fast action and amazing skillset of my midwife, we may not be here to tell this

Volunteers' Week 2026 I’m Finlay. I am and S2 pupil at Nairn Academy and volunteer as a Young Leader for the Auldearn Primary Football team, Sports camp and the Bee The Change Intergenerational Choir. I started young leaders to boost my confidence and people skills. I also want to be a primary school teacher, and this gives me experience of working with children. I have enjoyed coaching at Auldearn, helping at sports camps and singing at the Bee The Change Choir. I have gain

Volunteers' Week 2026 My name’s Danny and I’m a volunteer Civilian Instructor with the RAF Air Cadets, as well as a Digital Content Coordinator for my union. I haven’t been volunteering long. The process of joining the Air Cadets has taken a while and there’s still a lot of training ahead of me, but I’ll officially begin working with the cadets at the start of next month. In the meantime, I’ve already started helping my union, which is entirely volunteer run. I decided to beg

Volunteers' Week 2026 I’m Pearl and I volunteer as a Support Volunteer with Victim Support Scotland. I’ve been in the role since May 2025. I’ve volunteered at different times throughout my life and for different reasons. When I was younger, things like Duke of Edinburgh encouraged me to get involved, try new things and get out meeting people. If you’re not sure what you want to do, volunteering can be a really good way of testing things out and building experience. Now that I

Volunteers' Week 2026 I’m Vir and I’ve been volunteering as a Support Volunteer with Victim Support Scotland since September 2023. I had recently retired and had also recently moved to Inverness, so I had more time on my hands. I still wanted to make a contribution to society and, with Victim Support Scotland, I can also make some use of my skill set from previously enforcing legislation. Volunteering has also been an opportunity to meet local people and help people going thr

Volunteers' Week 2026 My name is Saffron, I'm 25 and I volunteer with Dingwall Museum alongside studying for my Masters degree in Sustainable Energy Solutions at UHI. My undergraduate degree is in Physics, and alongside my studies I also work part time in heritage roles at Urquhart Castle and the Inverness Castle Experience. Heritage is a real passion of mine, although I’m still figuring out whether it will become my long-term career. I started volunteering while I was lookin

Volunteers' Week 2026 I’m Nigel and I volunteer in the Bookshop for Caberfeidh Horizons. I’ve volunteered for so many years now that I’ve honestly lost count. More recently, I’ve also started helping another local volunteer put books on eBay. I’m a retired Zoologist and Ornithologist, and I’ve always had an interest in archaeology too. The kids have all fledged, and volunteering felt like a way of doing something I thought was useful. What I enjoy most is the craic, meetin

Volunteers' Week 2026 Hi, my name is Rosie. I am in S4 and I volunteer as a Sports Leader at Nairn Academy. I am also one of the Young Ambassadors for Sport. I was given the opportunity to start volunteering right before I moved into S1. It felt right because lots of my family have been part of the programme, so it was something I already knew a bit about before getting involved myself. One of the big things I have enjoyed about volunteering, which everyone says, is getting t

Volunteers' Week 2026 I’m Kyle and I’ve been volunteering with The Haven Café for around seven months now. I’m involved in serving customers, using the till, and making hot drinks. At the time, I’d been looking for paid employment and thought volunteering would be a good opportunity to get out of the house and gain some my experience. I also live close by, so it was easy for me to walk here and get involved regularly. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most is getting to know the

Over the winter months, I've been spending time visiting community groups and volunteers across the Highlands. It's made me reflect on just how important volunteering is at this time of year. As winter settles in across the Highlands, many people feel the season brings both challenges and opportunities. The colder months can make it harder for some to get out and about, and shorter days can leave communities feeling more isolated. this is when the difference made by volunteer

Welcome to the winter edition of the Volunteer Academy Bulletin. As the days grow shorter and the festive spirit returns, we’re delighted to share with you the latest news, volunteer stories, and upcoming activities across the Highland region. This issue includes: Festive Greetings Priory Volunteer Recognition Day Creating Community at Tykes News: Safeguarding the Integrity of Volunteering Fellowship Programme Skills Bank What’s On Festive Greetings As we approach the festive

Archie Webster Archie Webster, a dedicated pupil from Inverness Royal Academy, became the first recipient of the Diamond Hoodie,...

Lochaber Phoenix Boxing Club is entirely run by volunteers and has been running for over 15 years. They offer young people ages 9 and up...

"After having a break from work, a lovely neighbour suggested to me that I try volunteering at the Children's Ward. After that, it...

Pam, a retired trained counsellor, has been an exceptional volunteer with Connecting Carers since December 2020. She offers telephone and...

I came across the tool library by accident last autumn and saw the signs in the window asking for volunteers. Being new to the Inverness...

Jamie is one of our young volunteers who volunteers with The Place, Alness. He is passionate about giving back to his community. He also...