Volunteering with Valeways
Volunteering doesn’t just have an impact on the community. It allows the individual to connect to their community and make it a better place. Volunteering is a two-way street: it can benefit you as much as the cause you choose. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network and boost your social skills.
A good way to make new friends and strengthen existing friendships is a shared activity. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area or recently retired. It strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighbourhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.
Volunteering makes you happy, by measuring hormones and brain activity, researchers have discovered that being helpful to others delivers immense pleasure. Human beings are hard-wired to give to others.
The social-contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being. Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another. It’s a great way to avoid or reduce stress, anxiety or depression.
Older adults, especially those who have retired or lost a spouse, can find new meaning and direction in their lives by helping others. Whatever your age or life situation, volunteering can help keep you mentally stimulated and add more zest to your life.
Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy. Studies have found that those who volunteer tend to walk more, find it easier to cope with everyday tasks, are less likely to develop high blood pressure, and have better thinking skills. Volunteering can also lessen symptoms of chronic pain and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Your Achievements when Volunteering with Valeways
You will provide the community with:
Clear public rights of way for Vale of Glamorgan residents and visitors to enjoy its fantastic scenery as individuals, families or as part of one of the many local walking groups
Safe guided and self-guided walks to improve citizens’ fitness, health and well-being
Stroller groups to encourage older citizens to continue their enjoyment of walking, the outdoors and social interaction
To continue supplying these benefits to all for many years to come by supporting our vital background roles
And, for you, new skills, an enjoyable, social and active life.
Volunteering Opportunities with Valeways
Valeways is well known for its charitable work in walking, volunteering and footpath clearance. It is an organisation run entirely by volunteers, without any employed staff. The result is that there is an extensive range of volunteering opportunities in which individuals can use skills they have or gain new skills, experience and comradeship.
“I moved to this area 4 years ago and started walking and volunteering with Valeways shortly after. Valeways gave me a social life second to none and helped me settle into my new environment. I have made many friends and carried out activities I would never have dreamed of attempting before joining Valeways.” Paul H
“I love walking and working with Valeways – getting out in the fresh air and doing something useful is a tonic.” Sheila
Below is a selection of the opportunities available. If you are encouraged to volunteer in any of the roles below, please talk to a walk leader or contact volunteering@valeways.org.uk
Walk Leader
Our walk leaders are usually experienced walkers, although this is not a necessity. They devise their own routes within the Vale and lead groups of 8 to 30 people. Training in walk leading and first aid is given, and this can be followed by mentoring if you wish. Our leaders are a friendly group and will be willing to help.
“Volunteering with Valeways gives me so much pleasure - to see people smiling when you show them the hidden secrets of the Vale, and their comments are always good. Beautiful views of the coastline, forest, lakes, rivers, fields and much more. So many species of wildlife (alpacas included). To witness so many different people making new friends, talking, laughing and enjoying themselves. It makes me feel good.” Phil
Walk leader (top left)
Walk leader (on the right)
Stroller Leader
Our Stroller groups are devised to keep people physically and socially active and meet either fortnightly or monthly. As a leader you will be fully trained and expected to lead a group for 1 hour of walking and 30 minutes of chat in a café or similar.
“It gives me real pleasure to lead walks and to see happy, smiling people enjoying the fresh air, having the opportunity to chat and taking gentle exercise ... in all weathers!” Lynne
Stroller leader (on the right)
Walk and Clear
Walk and Clear is the name we have given our clearance team because it is a good country walk with the purpose of clearing the paths, stiles and gates on the way. We meet at an agreed start point every Tuesday at 10:30 am. Attendance at every event is not compulsory – just come on the days that you are available.
“There are so many benefits from joining the walk and clear group. There is always a sense of satisfaction after clearing a footpath and at what has been achieved, plus plenty of fresh air, free exercise, not to mention a chance to meet with other like-minded people and even free sweets if Phil turns up.” Brian
Examples of walk and clear activites can be seen by following the links below.
Valeways walk and clear activities 2022
Clearing a stile exit
Path clearing
Way marker training
Adopt-a-Path
Valeways has published 19 self-guided walk leaflets covering all areas of the Vale. To ensure these are up-to-date and the routes are clear for the public to enjoy, we have a group of volunteers who regularly review these routes and report any changes or faults to a coordinator.
“I have been walking with Valeways for several years now and about 2 years ago I felt I could contribute a little more of my time to this excellent Charity, so I decided to put myself forward as an Adopt-a-Path and Walk & Clear volunteer. This involves periodic reconnaissance and maintenance of my Adopted Path and submission of reports on its condition, including any problems encountered.
I find this, together with weekly Walk & Clear activities to be extremely rewarding and beneficial to both the local community and my own physical health and mental well-being.
Although this work can be a little time consuming, the benefits of volunteering for these activities are most worthwhile and I would encourage anyone who is considering joining the group of volunteers to do so.” Paul M
Social Media
The use of social media has increased our participant numbers, gets urgent news out to our followers and helps put across our health messaging. We use Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and although knowledge of these is useful, a good knowledge of Valeways is more so.
“My role as a social media contributor for Valeways has been very rewarding. It has allowed me to share a great variety of news stories from the Charity. This includes walk reports, Walk and Clear activities, Walking Festival news and interacting with new and existing walkers.
It was also a great help when my walking activities were severely restricted following a recent heart attack as I still felt part of the Volunteer Team.” Huw
Publicity
Where would Valeways be without publicity? We need to get the message out there about all of our fantastic opportunities for walkers and volunteers to enjoy!
“I have volunteered to boost Valeways’ image and have produced a lot of electronic and printed publicity over the last two years.
This has introduced me to many new techniques and interactions such as writing press releases and delivering to local journalists, using design packages to produce flyers, posters and leaflets, working with printers and distribution. This can be time-consuming but best of all is a sense of achievement and pride in a job well done.” Alan
Designing a Facebook post
An event display, all the content is designed volunteers.
Friends of Valeways
This is a membership programme that offers additional activities to “Friends” and a welcome income for the charity.
“Having recently agreed to oversee the Friends of Valeways, we hope to make any walker who chooses to become a Friend feel that they are a valued part of the Valeways organisation.” Lynne
Projects
Projects can either result from new activities that we wish to introduce, revitalising old ones or as a response to funding applications. They will call for different skills and abilities for short to long periods of time.
“Problem solving was a major part of my working life, but in retirement crosswords and sudoku just weren’t doing it for me. Being able to use these skills in the real world for the benefit of the charity and the community gives me great pleasure and satisfaction.” Alan
Leadership
We need leaders and coordinators to manage a number of roles above.
“I collate the information coming from Adopt-a-Path volunteers and also report any problems with the footpath infrastructure and relay this to the Council for repairs or replacements. I get a sense of ownership and pride in seeing that the routes are well maintained, and often meet other walkers using the same paths, sometimes receiving positive feedback about the route marking and the state of the paths.” Greg
Trustee
As a charity, Valeways is required to have a board of Trustees to supervise its legal, monetary and organisational aspects. This is an important and wide-ranging role within a multi-faceted charity.
“Being the Valeways treasurer has allowed me to use my financial, accounting and administration skills in support of the Charity. I have also had to learn about accounting for charities, gift aid, fund raising and reporting to funders. Designing new management accounts charts and tables to explain the financial position of the charity to the trustees and other volunteers has also proved a rewarding challenge.” Greg (Treasurer)
“It’s great to be able to use skills that I acquired in ‘my old’ life to help such a worthwhile organisation and to be part of the team that makes it all happen.” Angharad (Trustee)