Paul's Story - A Brighter Future

Paul’s journey with Voluntary Action Coventry began in August 2024 when he attended our ‘Introduction to Volunteering’ workshop. After dedicating 30 years of his life to working at Royal Mail, Paul had had to retire due to Stage four cancer, which has left him with reduced lung capacity. Though Paul is now in remission, his retirement brought feelings of boredom and isolation, and the COVID-19 lockdowns only heightened those feelings. Paul shared that, after years of retirement, he felt like he was “out of practice” socialising.

Alice Upton, one of our Improving Lives Project Officers, here she explains how VAC supported Paul on his journey: 

“Paul joined our Improving Lives course in September 2024. Through the course, he had the opportunity to explore different volunteer opportunities at a range of charities, across our Coventry VCSE Alliance. With other participants on the course, we organised group visits to the  Albany Theatre, Feeding Coventry, and St Francis Employability. These visits not only allowed Paul to discover a variety of roles but also provided him with the chance to meet people and build connections within the community.”

Pictured above, Paul has also become involved with our Chat Central project, helping at the Team Springboard Allotments and visiting Charterhouse for a volunteer recruitment event. Through working with VAC, Paul has gone onto volunteer with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust on a permanent basis, helping maintain the Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve.

Through his involvement in the Improving Lives programme and his ongoing volunteer role, Paul has regained his confidence and boosted his motivation. Paul now volunteers twice a week, socialising with others and making valuable contributions to the community.

Paul’s journey is a testament to the positive impact volunteering can have on people’s lives. He has made amazing progress since we met him in August 2024, and we can’t wait to see what volunteering venture he embarks on next!

Pictured here, snapshots from the Improving Lives course that Paul attended. VAC supported participants to get involved with Foleshill Community Centre (centre) where Feeding Coventry have volunteer roles in their kitchen, at Albany Theatre (bottom left) to find out about volunteer vacancies in the Box Office, Front of house and within the bar and kiosk. We also hosted a session with Change Grow Live (top left) who talked to our participants about the inspiration their volunteers bring to people affected by substance misuse. Bottom right, where it all begins – Alice Upton talking to new participants at a community fair