Volunteers' Week: David Cockburn

It's Volunteers' Week, and it's the chance for organisations to shine the light on their brilliant volunteers. We recently chatted to David Cockburn, who has been a volunteer at Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) for ten years now and is a former trustee.

"I started volunteering with Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) about ten years ago now. 

At the time, I had just come out of hospital after spending six months there. I was feeling a bit down and looking for something to do. That’s when I came across a gardening course at PCP. At first, it was just an activity to keep me occupied, but I quickly realised how much I enjoyed it.

"After a while, the team at PCP asked if I’d like to become a volunteer. I accepted, and soon after became a garden volunteer, which was really interesting. It involved teaching planting, weeding - just all sorts in the garden. Along with other volunteers, I helped prepare the garden for award nominations, making sure everything met the criteria. We also helped fundraise for the garden.

"Volunteering in the garden led to some memorable achievements. One of the highlights was winning the ‘Outstanding Award’ for the Northumbrian Bloom awards - the highest award for community gardens. That made us all incredibly proud. I never thought I’d get that far. I always saw myself as someone who was just learning, but we reached such an amazing level. 

About eight years ago, I was asked to become a trustee at PCP. That was such an honour - it meant so much to me to be trusted with that responsibility. It really inspired me.  

"Since stepping down as a trustee I still doing garden volunteering, but I have also moved on to do admin and reception volunteering. I now help with room hire bookings, computer work, handling facts and figures - things like that. I love it. I enjoy helping people who come into the centre. Knowing I can have a positive impact on someone’s day really means a lot. I know I can make a difference.

"I also help out in other departments, like the events team. I’ve supported events by running stalls and even doing storytelling with Bev Walton Customer and Information Assistant, which I thoroughly enjoy.

"Volunteering has also helped my mental health massively. Coming here allows me to forget what's going on in my life and focus on the tasks at hand. And I’m always learning something new while I do it.

"Before volunteering, I was a builder, so everything I do here has been completely new to me - which makes it even more exciting.

"Sometimes, people come to the reception desk and chat. They say they've just moved into the area or that they're feeling lonely. So I talk them through the activities we offer - like the hydrotherapy pool - and next time I see them, they’ve already joined a few groups. They’ve taken that first step, and then hopefully the next one, just like I did.

"There are so many different volunteer roles at PCP. You might come in for one thing but discover another opportunity that suits you even more. And no matter what you do, you’re still in the same welcoming place with kind, supportive people. It’s an excellent place to start volunteering. I love working with people and showing others how to do things."

Many thanks to David for giving us his time to speak to us, if you would like to find out more about our volunteering opportunities at: www.pcp.uk.net/volunteers