Submitted by Matthew Lloyd on
If you've had your Covid-19 vaccination, you might have come into contact with the volunteers performing important duties supporting vaccination centres. Action Together worked with vaccination centres throughout the pandemic, and Ron is one of our volunteers who worked at a centre in Oldham.
Ron "wanted to just help out and have something to do”, so started volunteering with Action Together during the Covid pandemic in May 2021.
Ron wanted to get involved to help members of the community get vaccinated. He decided to help out at local vaccination clinics across Oldham as a Vaccination Guidance and Support Volunteer.
Ron was that friendly face when people dropped in for their vaccines. He kept the queue in order, checked people were eligible for a vaccination, and referred any medical queries to the clinical team. Ron volunteered very closely with the clinic team - he always checked for procedure changes, how many vaccines they could give that day, and always followed the Goverment's guidance at all times.
He was always there to reassure people, and share his experience and stories. This helped people feel more comfortable and welcome at the clinic. One person shared the sentiment of many when they said, “you are all true heroes, thank you!”
His first volunteer role led Ron to became an Action Together Volunteer Ambassador. He chose to take on more responsibilty, and went on to manage other volunteers, including welcoming and training new volunteers.
If you're considering volunteering, Ron says, “Give it a go! You are always supported and you're never left on your own. Through volunteering I’ve enjoyed meeting new people, getting out and about and learning more about the coronavirus and the procedures.”
Since volunteering he is more aware of what is available to do in his local community. He recently volunteered with Action Together at a local fun day to promote the benefits of volunteering.
Ron will be joining our Volunteering team at a local Volunteer Hub, where you can drop in and speak to us about volunteering opportunities. He will be there to share his knowledge and skills with the local community of Oldham.
Speak to the team to meet Ron and get some inspiration to follow his journey to become a volunteer: email volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk or call 0161 339 2345.