Local volunteers are urging others to give their time to help people affected by cancer.
Macmillan Cancer Support urgently needs volunteers for its Buddies Service throughout West Lothian.
Volunteers say helping people living with the disease is extremely rewarding and they would recommend it.
One volunteer, Shona MacKenzie (51), from Livingston Village is urging people with a little spare time to sign up and help others. The service supports people with cancer, pairing them with a telephone buddy, to help them feel less isolated.
Shona has volunteered with Macmillan for almost nine years.
Originally involved in community support, visiting people’s homes, she moved across to help with the Buddies Service after the pandemic.
With a busy lifestyle and a new job, this type of volunteering allows Shona to continue supporting people living with cancer.
She said: “This is a great way to volunteer if you don’t have a huge amount of spare time to give. It’s only an hour a week to talk and listen to someone going through what can be an incredibly lonely time in their lives.
“Quite often, service users ask if they are meant to talk about cancer. I try to put them at ease and explain that we can chat about anything at all.
“Some people find it difficult to talk to their loved ones, to family members and friends about cancer, what treatment they are going through and their emotions. I know my mum felt like this too, when she was going through her cancer journey.
“People I support want to talk about family life, reminisce, chat about gardening, books, their lifestyles and the things we have in common.”
Shona added: “It’s a real privilege to support people, to give them a chance to speak openly and be listened to. A cancer diagnosis is an emotional rollercoaster and Macmillan provides support to people in numerous ways, they give people a choice in how they want to be helped.
“The Buddies Service is such a great idea and it certainly allows me to continue my volunteering and fit it into my own working week.
“I would encourage anyone reading this to give volunteering a go, you certainly won’t regret it.”
Kathryn Spiers, volunteering services delivery lead for Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We really need volunteers to come forward and join our service.
“The project kicked off during the pandemic and has grown ever since.
“Having a buddy to talk or support with basic tasks around the home, can really give someone with a diagnosis that little bit of extra support.
“It can help them feel less isolated, or lonely and enable them to talk freely knowing someone is listening.
“Lots of volunteers tell us that they chat about hobbies and what’s on the television. It can bring about a sense of normality and escapism from what can be a very difficult time for some.
“I’d recommend to anyone out there that has some free time to give volunteering a go. You can really influence and change people’s lives, including your own.”
To find out more about volunteering opportunities with Macmillan in Scotland contact Kathryn Spiers on 07801307086 or visit macmillan.org.uk/volunteering by November 30.
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