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Causeway Volunteer Centre has been working in the Causeway area covering Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle for the last 15 years.

“Hundreds of volunteers have passed through our doors taking up a huge variety of placements and providing much needed services to our community,” said Ann.

“We have seen volunteers from all walks of life, from every background, every age, male and female, all with a willingness to help others and many have found that while helping others they also helped themselves.”

Mary McNickle, the new manager of Causeway Volunteer Centre has come from a background in volunteering herself. She said that over the many years she has been involved in volunteering she has seen not only what volunteers do for others but the many benefits that volunteers themselves receive. According to Mary, volunteering can give purpose to life when circumstances such as unemployment, retirement or ill health can confine people to a restricted and sometimes isolated existence. The thing about volunteering is that people get to choose what they want to do, where they do it and for how long.

It’s not like employment where you have to have certain formal qualifications and experiences and commit to 40 hours a week for 48 weeks of the year! Of course you make a commitment when you volunteer but you choose. However if you want to find employment volunteering is a great way to get experience, enhance your CV and get a reference. It makes all the difference in an interview if you can back up your knowledge with real examples from your own experience.

Getting into volunteering is no ordeal either. In fact it’s really easy. Causeway Volunteer Centre has researched hundreds of placements and offers whatever support a volunteer needs to get started. Anyone wanting to volunteer can go onto their website and choose something that interests them, fill in an online enquiry form and send it.

The Causeway Volunteer Centre will contact the organisation, check availability and start the process of getting you into volunteering. If you are not sure what you want to do or are not fond of computers, just call into the Centre or give us a ring and talk to us. We’re always happy to hear from you.

Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering please call into the Centre in River House, ring them on 028 7035 8285 or visit their website www.causewayvc.org.

Make the call today and join the many people who are making more of their lives through volunteering.