Volunteer Stories: Karen

A group of adults stand outside in a park, with trees behind them. An adult with short light hair is at the front of the image. They wear sunglasses on their head and a white sleeveless top. They are singing, as part of a Quirky Choir session.

To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we are introducing you to some of our brilliant volunteer team.

First up is Karen, who volunteers on Singing for Memory and supports artists in making our participants feel welcome and encouraging them to sing together. Karen has been volunteering with us for around 7 years now and is a long-time member of our Quirky Choir.

When asked what she enjoys most about volunteering, Karen said, ‘I enjoy every part of volunteering with Singing for Memory’ and added that interacting with the participants and the artists is what makes the sessions fun.

We have a brilliant team of volunteers who support Singing for Memory, most of whom also attend our Quirky Choir sessions. Karen says, ‘I have made many friends [through volunteering], and got to know people from Quirky better as a result of volunteering, as we have some time to talk before and after sessions. I’ve also got to know more of Darts staff who are all lovely and very helpful’.

Karen has also enjoyed getting to know our regular participants in sessions. She says, ‘I’ve learned a great deal from the participants of Singing for Memory and they never cease to amaze me how much singing helps them – they may not be able to hold a lengthy conversation with you but once the music starts for a song they know they really go for it! It’s wonderful to see. I love every minute of it!’

Thank you for everything you do to support us and our participants Karen!