Wessex Community Action is the council for voluntary services in Wiltshire and provides practical support for community organisations on funding, governance, planning, policy development, recruiting and leadership. This monthly volunteering column looks at all aspects of volunteering and how people can give up their time for the benefit of their communities.

VOLUNTEERING is not just means of helping your community or supporting a cause you care about, it can be a route to personal wellbeing, fulfilment and perhaps even better career prospects.

There are many studies, not least one by the Mental Health Foundation, which have shown there is a strong link between volunteering and improved mental health. The humble act of giving time to your community often inspires a sense of increased self-esteem, a greater sense of purpose, and reduced feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Helping other people can be rewarding and lend the volunteer a more positive outlook on life.

Volunteering can also be a valuable asset for career development because it allows people to pick up new skills, gain practical experience in a real life situation and expand their professional networks. – who knows who’ll you’ll come into contact with?

Employers like, and sometimes even actively look for, potential staff who have volunteering on their CV because it reveals a good work ethic, a sense of teamwork and a commitment to the community.

It doesn’t matter if you have a few hours to spare or much more time, volunteering is an investment you are making in yourself as well as your community.

Retiree Richard Marks began volunteering at Horatio’s Garden in Salisbury almost 16 months ago and spends one morning a week working in the garden, which provides a haven for spinal patients from all over Wiltshire at Salisbury District Hospital.

Richard Marks says he looks forward to volunteering at Horatio’s Garden in Salisbury, where he relishes the calmness of the garden and the feelgood factor it brings

He says he’s not an expert gardener but he loves getting involved with planting, clearing, deadheading and watering as well as chatting to patients and their families.

“The garden is a bit of a paradise really, and it’s incredibly calm, so that’s why I find it very important to be a tiny, tiny cog in what makes the garden work,” he said.

“Primarily I think volunteering is me giving something back to the community, but I get something out of volunteering too. There’s a very intense bit of a feel-good factor in being there and helping people. Also the garden has its impact on me, so there’s that element of calmness, and the beauty of the flowers and nurturing things and seeing things grow, that’s also huge.

“There’s a really good group of volunteers and we look forward to seeing each other and we get to know some of the patients, so I very much look forward to going there.”

Wessex Community Action works with would-be volunteers and charities to capitalise on the opportunities available. There is information on the Volunteering in Wiltshire page on WCAs Wiltshire Together platform, a free online portal that allows users to browse and pledge interest in opportunities listed by charitable organisations across the county.

To find out more about becoming a volunteer and the volunteering support WCA can offer, contact Abby Lynch at info@wessexcommunityaction.org.uk. Find the Volunteering in Wiltshire page at wiltshiretogether.org.uk/wiltshire-volunteering.