Volunteers’ Week: Natasha tells us why she 100% loves volunteering for Together Co

As Volunteers’ Week comes to end we want to share Natasha’s story with you. 

Natasha has been volunteering with us since the beginning of 2024, and having experienced loneliness and isolation herself, she said Together Co sang to her heart. 

“Once I completed the training, I was very quickly matched with a beautiful young lady called Jeannette who at the time was 92.  She is now 94 and still going strong.  I had no idea what to expect when I started volunteering, but I instantly knew this experience was powerful.   

“My connection with Jeannette was plain to see, and we just made each other laugh. It was as if I was sharing the room with someone who suited my own personality and soul from the very first moment.  After a few weekly visits Jeannette nicknamed me 100% as I say it a lot. It’s a name which just stuck with me and I love it.  She doesn’t call me by my name but only by 100%, everyone who knows me through Jeannette knows me only as 100%.   

“There is always a very special bond with someone who can very quickly nickname me.  It’s as if we have known each other for lifetimes.  At first, I thought I was volunteering just for Jeannette’s benefit but it didn’t take long before I realised that this whole volunteering experience was helping me too. 

Wonderful experience

“My heart slowly got bigger and bigger, and the more I got from it the more I wanted to give back.  It’s truly amazing and something you can only understand once you experience it for yourself. I now volunteer for another two charities because giving is such a wonderful thing to do, and the volunteering has really helped my own mental health issues. 

“A few months after seeing Jeannette I was matched with John who is 80, once again we had an instant connection.  We could just talk about everything and anything, John was very spiritual and we both just loved each other’s company.   

“Jeannette and John are both people who have become very dear, special and close friends; friends I never knew I needed.  It’s so wonderful to hear different perspectives of life, even though to be honest there never really felt at any time like there was an age gap. 

“John passed away in the beginning of 2025, and it was so sad. But I instantly knew that he was back in the arms of his dear wife who passed away a couple of years earlier. 

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My heart slowly got bigger and bigger, and the more I got from it the more I wanted to give back.

Connector Project

“Through Together Co, I’ve also been a part of the connector project. This is when you help others on a short-term basis.  On a few occasions I helped a beautiful soul called David on a cooking course so he could build his confidence around other people.  It’s been so joyful to watch him bloom and shine and to be a part of that journey with him. 

“Another massive plus side is that I have met some really awesome people through volunteering, not only the brilliant kind people who work for Together Co, but through the social events that Together Co holds from time to time. 

“What I love most about volunteering is that everything I have experienced so far comes from the passion to help and from my heart.  I don’t know where or if this will lead to anything more in the future but what I do know is that I have loved every moment with a real passion and that being of service and part of a beautiful community really does feed the soul.” 

Join us

If you are interested in volunteering for Together Co, you can find more information here.