The psychological benefits of volunteering
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By Sarah Cramoysan
A personal perspective
When I gave birth to my twins some 25 years ago, I told my husband ‘I want at least a year off before I think about going back to work’, and somehow that one year stretched into three. Then my third child arrived and the ‘going back to work’ in any serious capacity was put on permanent hold as I made the most of being a stay-at-home mum. Having had problems conceiving and the twins being born as the result of IVF treatment, I was happy to be able to focus on raising the family I’d longed for, and we were lucky in that we could manage financially with me not working.
However, being at home with small people did have its challenges as well as benefits, so it was important for me to do something outside of the bubble of family life. As soon as my youngest started at school, I started volunteering at our local Oxfam charity shop, sorting and pricing clothes that had been donated, ready for them to sell.
I chose Oxfam because I have long supporte...
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