Volunteers help ‘make a difference’ to carers

Make a Difference Day

Scroll down for Video

Tech-savvy Rochdale folk gave up their time to help carers pick up vital IT skills as part of a day of action to highlight the efforts of volunteers in the community.

Around 16 volunteers who regularly offer their time and skills through the Council for Voluntary Services Rochdale (CVSR) headed to the Ronald Gorton Centre to teach carers how to get online.

The volunteers were teaching skills, including how to use social media and how to shop online, as part of Make a Difference Day, a national event, organised locally by CVSR, which encourages people to give volunteering a go for the day.

Karl Parr, from Pride Media Association, which supported the event, alongside the Carers’ Resource, said: “I really enjoy volunteering my time because I get a buzz out of sharing my experiences and I meet people from all different walks of life. I also often find that I learn as much from the people I help.

“An awful lot of important services can be accessed online now, so it’s important that people understand that computers aren’t scary. One highlight of my volunteering today was teaching a lady who has relatives in New Zealand how to use the online telephone service skype, so that she can phone them for free.”

Carers were also taught things like how to use the Nintendo Wii, how to use a digital camera and how to use ebay as part of the day which was focussed on how people can tackle loneliness and isolation through the use of technology.

Volunteer Colin Garside has been looking for work for three years and sees volunteering as an opportunity to gain vital skills as well as supporting his community.

He said: “I’m an electrical engineer by trade and am really keen to get back into work. Volunteering allows me to so something really productive and enjoyable which gets me out of the house. I’m also able to develop skills through volunteering without losing my jobseeker’s allowance.

“It’s really good to be able to help people too. I volunteer a lot with tenants and residents across Kirkholt (T.R.A.K) and it’s great when you help somebody who has just moved onto the estate set up an email account so they can stay in touch with their family.”

Carer Pauline Fardon, from Shawclough, said: “I think this is a great event. I am going to start booking holidays online and contacting my niece in Alabama on facebook. The efforts of volunteers are vital because how would you find things like this out if you didn’t have people like Karl helping you? I often don’t have time to learn things like this at home either because of my role as a carer.”

Fellow carer Tracy Bollington, said: “I’ve got pictures of my children on my digital camera and now I’ve been taught how to get the images out of my camera and onto my computer, which is great. I think the concept of volunteering is brilliant. Everyone has a skill and many people don’t even realise how much their knowledge could help someone else.”