Part of my wellbeing: Elizabeth’s story
It’s Volunteers’ Week 2026, time to thank our dedicated team of 60+ volunteers for all their support. In this series, we highlight a few of our volunteers….
Volunteering is an important part of Elizabeth’s wellbeing
Elizabeth joined CAEE in July 2025 as an Advice Support Volunteer, a new role that involves helping clients to complete applications for various benefits or grants from local charity trusts.
“Working part time as a freelance editor and with my children getting older, I finally had a bit of free time to do some more voluntary work.
“Volunteering has always been part of my life as I realised that for me, it’s an important aspect of my wellbeing.”
“I was aware that CAEE makes a big difference in the local community supporting people with so many issues such as debt, housing, disability and food poverty and I wanted to play a part in that, however small.”
Elizabeth has drawn on her experience from her career in publishing to help communicate sometimes complex information to clients and support them in writing strong applications for the benefits they are eligible for.
She says, ” Often clients are completely overwhelmed by their situation and the process of navigating the benefits system and completing an enormous application form is just another barrier to getting the support they need. Each appointment is a different story of somebody in the community needing help to move forward and it is rewarding to feel I have contributed in some way.
“Having worked from home for so long in my job, it has felt good to be back in an office with a lovely and supportive team, as well as developing new skills and meeting clients from different backgrounds who are always so appreciative of the help they receive.”