The JOY OF GIVING

Helping other people brings huge rewards, as the testimonies from these wonderful volunteers show

- ALICE GREBOT, SHARON WRIGHT.

Every June, Volunteers' Week gives us a chance to thank people like these women who give their time to make the world a better place. If you're thinking of becoming a volunteer, you are in good company. More than 14 million people in the UK offer their time for free at least once a year, providing crucial support to all sorts of worthwhile causes, people in need and communities. Volunteering has a host of wonderful benefits for you too. It can feed your passion, boost your wellbeing, teach you new skills and instil a sense of belonging.

'VOLUNTEERS HELPED ME SURVIVE LOSING MY DAUGHTER'

Adelle Brenner, 49, is married with four children, including Celia, her three-year-old daughter who died in 2011. Adelle runs a support group for bereaved parents in Bath, and has recently been elected as a trustee of The Compassionate Friends, a charity supporting bereaved parents and their families.

When we lost our beloved daughter, our lives were blown apart. Celia was three when she died suddenly in a tragic accident. Afterwards, it was as though I was suspended in time, the world continuing around me while I was in a state of shock, unable to process what had happened.

Desperate, I posted on an online forum asking for help. Someone recommended The Compassionate Friends I wa to pa (TCF) and I found a local the ki volunteer, who'd lost her daughter five years earlier. Visiting her home was a pivotal moment; it was the first time I felt a glimmer of hope that I could survive what had happened, and rebuild my life and family.

In the following months and years, I would call the TCF helpline to speak with other bereaved parents, whose kindness, empathy and wisdom helped me through my grief. It meant I could talk to someone who genuinely understood what I was going through, and it gave me the strength to carry on.