Suzanne Askham

Wellbeing notes: The importance of saying thank you

A few days ago I was invited to dinner at Trowbridge County Hall, as a ‘thank you’ for some voluntary work that I’ve been doing.There, I met an interesting man called Brian who, for the past decade, has been bringing library books to housebound residents. When I talked to him, I realised that what he did wasn’t really about books, or not entirely. It was about the conversations he brought to isolated individuals. He was a lovely person: good at listening; non-judgemental. And he fully understood that his volunteering didn’t just benefit others, it made him happy too. At the event he was given a well-deserved award.

I came away afterwards with three impressions. First, that volunteering matters. When we offer our time, goodwill and energy, warm and wonderful things happen around us. Not least, volunteers can and do foster mental wellbeing in the individuals they help. Second, that every volunteer deserves a ‘thank you’. There’s nothing quite like someone recognising the effort that you are making. And third, making those ‘thank you’s public from time to time can inspire and encourage a host of other people to do their bit for the local community.