A region to volunteer
Hannah Bayman
Video Journalist, BBC Look North
One thing I love about reporting is getting to drop in on all sorts of colourful scenes and this BBC Outreach project highlighting volunteering in the North East took me to five, meeting people who make a big difference by giving their time as volunteers. For a week we visited a volunteering project to create a film for each day, which were broadcast on the evening BBC Look North news.
Monday: At sheltered housing in Gateshead, I joined a tea party as residents set up a hen house and welcomed their new hens, with help from volunteers. The old ladies had each named a hen after themselves.
Meet the volunteers who use for hens as a well-being project in residential homes.
Tuesday: In Northumberland, I got to see a wildlife meadow tucked away in woods, cleared by a mother-of-four who told me volunteering had helped her come off anti-depressants.
Meet the environmental champion who credits volunteering with changing her life.
Wednesday: It was a joy to take a trip in brilliant sunshine under the Infinity Bridge on the Tees Wheelyboat, adapted for wheelchair users and run by volunteers.
Meet the volunteers who offer a unique service for wheelchair users on the River Tees.
Thursday: The funniest to film was volunteer George Stevenson, who looked like a cross between a zombie and a pantomime dame as he dabbed on make up to pose as a burns victim for Cleveland Fire Brigade.
Meet the volunteer who simulates injuries for local emergency services training.
Friday: The final volunteer I met was Paula Roberts. Paula had terminal cancer but was helping at her local alternative therapy centre. A week later she passed away, leaving a husband and two young children. I felt honoured to have met her, volunteering until the very last.
The emotional story of a volunteer who credits volunteering with extending her life.
All five stories were unique, original untold local stories. Without BBC Outreach connections, they may never had been told to a wider audience . I hope the stories inspire others to consider volunteering and raise awareness of these local unsung heroes.
*Hannah worked with BBC Outreach in the North East & Cumbria to tell the story of people from across the region who give up time to volunteer. The stories were featured on BBC Look North as part of a week of stories and volunteer activity involving the local audience and BBC staff.