Shine news
7th June 2022
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
- Elizabeth Andrew
It’s not only the final day of Volunteers Week but the start of Carers Week and here at Shine we appreciate that many of our volunteers and fundraisers are also parent/ carers, not only working themselves but being full-time carers for their children. Amazingly they still manage to find time to raise awareness of Spina Bifida and/ or Hydrocephalus and fundraise for Shine to support the work we do. This includes Louise (Isabelle’s mum) and along with her friends and family recently raised £1,800 for Shine via a karaoke night in their local pub.
Louise says: “Together with family and friends, we became fundraising volunteers for Shine due to the varied support accessed since Isabelle was a baby. Over the years we have been part of the Ser Bach/Little Stars Group and attended numerous social events as a family, and accessed support on education, benefits and health.”
Heidi, our Director of Services says “I want to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who are essential to Shine’s work and fundraising – you are a very important part of the Shine family and without you, we could not do what we do.”
She also says “As we leave Volunteers Week and head into Carer’s Week I also want to recognise and celebrate the unpaid carers who work tirelessly to support and fight for our members, their loved ones, every day. You probably do not think of yourselves as volunteers – your care work is done out of love, but as the Carer’s UK/Leeds University’s report, ‘Valuing Carers’ in 2015, showed – ‘the 6.8 million people who provide unpaid care for loved ones in the UK save the state £132 billion a year (the cost of a 2nd NHS) and this is likely to be even higher now. Your roles are crucial and far too often unsung and if we can offer you any support or advice to ease the daily struggles you take on, for you and your loved ones, please do not hesitate to contact us at Shine.”
If you would like to find out if there are any volunteering opportunities in your area for Shine please call 01733 555988 or email firstcontact@shinecharity.org.uk