Katy’s story
Katy is a volunteer at Brandon Day Centre and has been spending time with our members a couple of times a week since joining us in October 2018. Originally from South Africa, Katy has lived in the USA, Australia and now the UK where she lives with her husband. She has a Master’s Degree in Health Research and a passion for understanding and improving the wellbeing of a community, so she has made an excellent addition to our volunteering team.
Katy has much experience in designing and conducting surveys and has enjoyed designing and conducting a survey for our daycare members and staff to enable us to see whether we are offering members the experience and opportunities they want from the Day Centre. Katie’s hobbies include painting and drawing and she loves gardening and walking her dog through the forest.
She told us, “I recently moved to Brandon and wanted to give my time and experience as a Health Research Graduate to my community. I thoroughly enjoy having the chance to talk with the members and I have made some great friends outside of my generation. Whilst we share quite a few interests, our experiences have been completely different, so there is always much to talk about.” She went on to say, “Volunteering has made a huge difference to my life. It has taught me to appreciate small gestures of kindness and how they can make a big impact. A smile and a friendly “hello” go a long way. It works both ways. I always feel so welcomed when a member says “good morning” to me.
“For anyone thinking about volunteering, I’d say, give it a try! Even if it’s just a couple of hours a week, you will not only be able to give someone enjoyment, but build lovely friendships. Knowing that I’ve made someone’s day better, definitely puts a smile on my face”.
