“I’ve been looking to help other people living locally and to learn a new skill now that I am retired – and when I saw this I thought ‘that’s exactly what I want to do’.” Prospective volunteers in Dorset contacted Help and Care after hearing about the new project to offer peer advocacy to older people affected by cancer. Some saw it in the local press, others found it on our website, one heard about it from a different voluntary organisation that she was already supporting and another heard an existing volunteer describe their involvement at church.
Bob Smith volunteer in Dorset
Whatever the method the motivation is the same. And the motivation is deeply felt since all the volunteers have either had cancer themselves, been touched by cancer through family or friends or lived through a similar life threatening illness. We knew the volunteers were out there but we weren’t entirely sure how to find them. Fortunately they found us and now there are more than ten trained volunteer advocates ready to support older people affected by cancer across Dorset.
Older People Living with Cancer 