Volunteering in places like charity shops can help tackle depression and loneliness in older people

Thousands of people every year are attracted to volunteer in the UK’s charity shops in order to benefit from the community feel that accompanies the role.

It is not only the valuable funds that come from charity shops on the high street but the opportunity for people to improve their quality of life through volunteering that has made many charities champion the importance of their shops on the high street.

Research carried out by the Royal Voluntary Service has shown volunteering can reduce feelings of depression and social isolation in older people and improve their satisfaction with life.

David McCullough, Royal Voluntary Service chief executive, said: “Volunteering is not only beneficial for those who receive help; our research shows that people who volunteer in later life are happier, less depressed and have a greater sense of wellbeing than those who don’t.

“We know from our own 40,000 volunteers across Britain that they gain a lot of satisfaction from their work and the difference they make to the lives of people in the community, and their dedication is vastly appreciated by those they help. Volunteering really is a win-win situation.”

The research also revealed that the key to getting as much from volunteering is not only getting involved, but feeling appreciated in the role.

The Royal Voluntary Service has found a fifth of older people are currently volunteering for two or more charities, with 46 per cent of older people describing feeling a need to have a purpose as a reason to volunteer.

Mr McCullough said: "Many people may believe that retirement is an opportunity to sit back and relax, but on the contrary; thousands of older people are committed to helping as many people as they can, making a huge difference to the lives of others in their communities.”

Oxfam opened the first charity shop on Oxford high street in 1948 and is still open today, along with an estimated 10,200 other charity shops that rely on 160,000 volunteers nationwide to keep them open.

Charity shops can provide a social role in the community as well as boosting important funds for charities.

One charity that is combining its local services with charity shops in the area is disability charity Scope.

In areas that Scope run services and there is a charity shop, the charity ensure that there is excellent communication between services, and organise for carers to accompany disabled volunteers if they require extra help in the shop environment.

Mikala Ayres, people development manager, Scope Retail explained: “We have people volunteering who have a range of disabilities, whether physical or mental, a number have challenging behaviour or learning disabilities.

“Occasionally a disabled person will have a personal assistant who will also come and aid the person to volunteer, which is arranged as part of a prior agreement.

“As scope run services to help disabled people, where a service and charity shop can work together they will ensure they have an active relationship.

“This allows people using their services to experience the benefit from volunteering and creates a good local link up for Scope services.

“It is a win win every time as the shops benefit from the volunteers and people themselves benefit too.

“For customers they can see we are advocates of the charity’s values and offer opportunities to a wide spectrum of people. For customers it sends out a very good message.”

Ms Ayres described the safe environment that Scope shops offer disabled people who can gain a variety of skills and even achieve qualifications whilst volunteering.

Ms Ayres continued: “A number of our volunteers have been discriminated against in society or within education because of their impairment or disability. Our charity shops provide a safe and supportive environment offering them opportunities which they may not had before.

“Volunteering with us can provide many benefits, from boosting their confidence, to learning new skills, and learning about how charity retailing works.

“It also provides them with a huge opportunity to make new friends.

“We have NVQ’s which are open to our volunteer population which are fully funded and helps people to increase their knowledge and confidence immensely.

“There is a real community feel that volunteers can benefit from.

“There is an aspect of being able to support disabled people where others have rejected them; we welcome anyone who wish to volunteer.”

As well as providing older people with a feeling of purpose, charity shops can combat loneliness in some vulnerable people who might otherwise become isolated from the community through the regular contact the volunteering offers.

Age UK, a charity which champions the needs and rights of older people has described the positive impact that volunteers can experience from a role inside their charity shops.

Helena King, head of affinity and development at Age UK said: “Age UK has over 440 shops across the country; they rely heavily on an army of volunteers who kindly give their time and commitment to help run each site.

“More importantly, volunteering at an Age UK shop is lots of fun and great way to make a contribution with their community.

“Age UK shops are often at the heart of the community, so as well as offering value for money they can also be social hubs. They often host events and activities for the community to get involved. Our volunteers will organise and get involved in every aspect of the shops operations.

“Our volunteers can give whatever time that suits their lifestyle and commitments, so some give an hour whilst others can offer a day, there are voluntary opportunities to suit everyone. Volunteering at an Age UK shop is a great way to help a worthy cause, have fun, make friends and learn new skills as well as get involved in their local community.”

The importance of volunteering remains crucial in order to maintain the income that charities rely on annually.

It is reported by the Charity Retail Association that charity shops bring £220m of income to charities a year.

Scope has described the many roles that people can do to enjoy being part of a local charity shop’s community and encouraged anyone interested in volunteering to get involved.

Ms Ayres of Scope concluded: “We do not only offer customer facing volunteering roles, for those who might not want to be in the shop front, there is a whole range of volunteering opportunities behind the scenes, what customers see really is only half the story!”