Ciara Ferrier

On at least two Saturdays a month, I volunteer at a nearby National Trust property. I have done this for eight years, starting at the same time that I switched to remote freelance work. There is a mill at this property and I first volunteered as a baker, changing to a house experience volunteer after my treatment.

• Volunteering is beneficial to me, as well as the organisation, because:

• I feel good about helping to preserve a beautiful place for the future, for others to enjoy.

• It allows me to switch off for a while. I can’t get a signal on my phone there. It’s amazing. I spend my lunchtime sat in nature.

• I make friends – offline friends!

• It can give someone a sense of purpose, a feeling that they belong and are contributing. I was so happy that I could switch to being a house volunteer after treatment, back in this role one week after finishing radiotherapy despite still recovering. It was - and still is - a happy distraction from ongoing pain and associated physical limitations. They let me go at my pace and it’s been a really important part of my overall recovery.

But my primary motivation eight years ago was to keep myself going out, meeting the public in person, keeping up those customer service skills. I think if you don’t use those “muscles” they can waste, so you must exercise them. Greeting the general public helps you focus on something beyond yourself. You don’t give good service if you are tied up in yourself. When you give good service, you feel good and find you enjoy it for its own sake. Gaining by Giving.

This was Heritage Weekend, meaning free entry. It was a busy day meeting and talking to people who were genuinely interested in the property, collection and its history and were maybe those who wouldn’t usually visit. One gentleman even thanked me for volunteering.



If you live near a similar property and they have a Heritage Weekend, maybe try visiting, even if it’s not the sort of thing you would usually do. You may be surprised at the sense of connection you feel and how this affects your perspective in many different ways.