On Thursday last week (13 November) Woking Borough Council held its Working together for Woking volunteer fair at the Leisure Centre. This is a brilliant annual event now in its fifth year, giving local charities and organisations a chance to connect with each other and with those seeking support or a voluntary position in the community.

For me, volunteering is such a powerful thing and something I have done since I was 17 when I volunteered at hospital radio. Over the years I have helped out on many different projects as a volunteer, and currently my radio work at Radio Woking and Surrey Hills Community Radio is voluntary.

I also give my time to support Woking Phab (a local charity offering social opportunities for people with and without disabilities) and I volunteer for an hour a week as a mentor in a school in Guildford for MCR Pathways. This works alongside my paid work at Edge Disability Consultancy in Woking.

MCR Pathways is a great example of how you can give back with just an hour a week. My mentoring journey began recently when I met the person for the first time.

It was a relaxed hour of sitting with him and getting to know him – the first session taught me a lot about the things he was interested in and I really enjoyed it. The communication and support from MCR is spot on too!

If you have an hour a week during the school day to spare then have a look at signing up as a mentor for MCR Pathways (www.mcrpathways.org).

I have been asked several times over the years why would I want work for free. For me, certainly with my first volunteer role in hospital radio I got so much out of it.

It helped with my confidence honing my skills in radio, and talking to patients in hospital was a real eye opener. It even shaped my career journey after meeting a gentleman with autism whilst at hospital radio and, based on that, in 2012 I left my supermarket job to work as a support worker.

Volunteering is a two-way street - the organisation benefits but the volunteer learns a lot too and builds skills for a CV and improving future career options, increasing confidence or maybe meeting new people and feeling part of the community.

It’s also humbling to hear the stories of why people volunteer for particular charities or organisations. Maybe the organisation has helped them or a loved one, or it is a cause close to somebody's heart for other reasons which are important and personal to them.

I see volunteering as a super power – giving back and helping others definitely is in my nature! Who knows where your volunteering journey will take you? Maybe into a career you have never even thought of!

Listen to my radio shows on Radio Woking: Sunday 9am to noon, Wednesday 7 to 9am.

You can hear Emma and I on Surrey Hills Community Radio every second Monday at 9pm and Life on the Edge with Edge Disability Consultancy can be heard every first Monday at 10am. Send me a voice note – www.speakpipe.com/jonandrews or email [email protected]