I grew up on a farm. As I got older I stayed at home to help my mum on the farm. A lot of girls did this back then. Because of this I did not have a lot of confidence in my abilities to do other things. I got married and had 3 children. After the children all grew up, I went for a job with Fold, a housing association. It was my first job and it really helped to build my confidence. My job involved caring for people and I found that I loved that!

I have been involved in different types of volunteering, for example in charity shops and helping with Marie Curie. I got involved in driving because a friend of mine did it and I thought it sounded great, which is funny because actually I dont like driving! I am actually quite nervous about driving in areas that I am not sure about, but there is much more to being a volunteer driver than just the driving bit!

As the volunteer driver, I drive older people and people with disabilities to their appointments or to the day centre. You get to know the people and I really enjoy chatting to them...they brighten up my day, and I hope I brighten theirs too!

I volunteer every week and I get so much satisfaction helping people. Volunteering is so much better than sitting in the house watching tv. I have lots of family and friends, but these days people are so busy and I understand that. After people retire it could be very easy to become lonely, so volunteering is something that I do for me, it is the best way to keep busy and active.

Volunteering gives you the incentive to get out and do something positive in the morning, and that can only be good for you.