In a new blog for Volunteers’ Week, Hayley Neal, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire ACRE, reflects on a conversation with Dee from Haddenham Community Hub and the powerful reminder that volunteering is not only about giving time, but also about rebuilding confidence, rediscovering purpose and finding connection within a community.

This Volunteers’ Week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dee over a cup of tea at the Haddenham Community Hub. By the end of our conversation, I was completely certain of one thing: Dee embodies everything that is positive about volunteering.

When Dee moved to Haddenham from Essex after losing her husband, she hoped to start a new chapter closer to family. Just six weeks later, the country went into lockdown. Suddenly isolated in a new village where she barely knew anyone, Dee lost confidence and became increasingly nervous about meeting new people.

She told me that walking through the doors of the Hub for the first time was terrifying.

“I must have looked it,” she laughed.

One of the volunteers immediately came over and asked if she could give her a hug. Years later, both women still become emotional talking about that moment. They are now close friends.

Listening to Dee speak, it became very clear that volunteering is not only about giving time. Sometimes it is about rebuilding confidence, rediscovering purpose and finding connection again.

What started with attending the Hub soon turned into volunteering. After taking part in a chair-based exercise taster session, Dee agreed, despite her nerves, to train so she could help deliver sessions herself.

“It was the scariest thing,” she admitted.

Since then, Dee has gained qualifications in chair-based exercise, strength and balance, breathwork and first aid. She now leads sessions at the Hub and supports other local groups too. But more importantly, she brings warmth, humour and understanding to every session she delivers.

At 74, Dee believes people feel comfortable exercising alongside someone who understands the realities of ageing. Her sessions combine gentle movement, breathing and wellbeing support, helping people improve mobility, confidence and social connection.

One attendee recovering from a stroke proudly showed me how much movement she had regained in her arm since attending the sessions and practising the exercises at home.

But perhaps the biggest impact has been on Dee herself.

Throughout our conversation, she kept returning to the same phrase:

“It’s changed my life completely.”

And honestly, you could see it. Every time Dee told a story about helping someone, learning something new or seeing people arrive at the Hub for her sessions, she absolutely shone.

By the end of our chat, surrounded by cups of tea, laughter and people greeting each other by name, it was impossible not to see the bigger picture. Volunteers like Dee are not simply supporting activities. They are creating belonging, friendship, confidence and community.

That is what Volunteers’ Week is really about.