It’s Volunteers’ Week 2026, time to thank our dedicated team of 60+ volunteers for all their support.
Here we highlight a few of our volunteers to learn what makes them give up their free time for our community.
Helen qualified as a barrister and had worked in corporate tax law for large firms. She volunteers with CAEE as she has the capability to understand forms and legislation and appreciate the immense challenge to deal with numerous disconnected systems. Systems that are often far too difficult and intimidating to navigate alone, often leading to people giving up and not getting what they are entitled to and/or need. She helps support people to unpick what they need and complete relevant processes and forms especially in the education system and for the elderly.
Chris retired from a career in banking and has more time to continue and develop his interest in volunteering. He has previous experience as a mentor for The Prince’s Trust, an advisor for a local Housing Association and a trustee for a local school Scholarship Fund. Training to be an advisor at CAEE, he faced a steep learning curve which he feels is both personally enriching and, hopefully, makes a small contribution to the local community.
Pippa joined CAEE in December 2024 as a volunteer receptionist having taken redundancy from NHS England, and this looked like an interesting role to undertake whilst looking for a part time role. Being a receptionist for CAEE turned out to be a far more diverse and interesting role than she had imagined. Pippa has also been helping out with the administration of the Household Support Fund.
Amanda has been volunteering at CAEE as a receptionist since 2015, currently working on Mondays & Fridays. What she enjoys most about volunteering here is that no two days are the same, you never know what clients will come in for drop-in sessions and what issues they will present with. Amanda says she gains a sense of fulfilment from being involved (if only in a small way) with something that helps people within the community, especially as some of our clients are very vulnerable.