Jim, 70, from Cumbria, volunteers with Mustard Tree.
I was born in Flint in Wales and I now live in Cumbria. I am a trustee of the Mustard Tree and I teach ESOL. I also volunteer for the mental health charity MIND and for some nature conservation charities near where I live.
I have done bits of volunteering all my life but I started at Mustard Tree in 2009. In 2008 I was working as a computer contractor for Barclays bank and I was laid off as part of the Credit Crunch. I sat around for a bit and got very bored so I thought I would do a bit of volunteering until the job market recovered. I never did get round to going back to Barclays.
I got involved initially because I was bored and purposeless. I find trying to do some good by volunteering helps me feel active and fulfilled.
I really enjoy meeting lots of really interesting people. Volunteering has kept me active and interested. I think I would have handled retirement badly and rapidly declined if it had not been for volunteering. Volunteering keeps me moving.
The most powerful moment when volunteering was being frightened by the intensity of one of my ESOL students. She was a mother who desperately wanted to learn to read so that she could help her children with their school work.
I would say to someone thinking about volunteering to just try it and have some fun.
What song best sums up your volunteering experience:
O Lucky Man by Alan Price, volunteering is my secret for being lucky.
