Ronnie's Story

Ronnie was interested in a medical career and was looking gain experience to help him successfully secure a place at university and develop his career. This led him to volunteering in a number of different ways.

During the pandemic Ronnie took part in VAO’s Care Home TV project, where volunteers provided online entertainment for care home residents while in lockdown. He then became a host at the Orkney Youth Awards in 2022 before volunteering with Lifestyles, and St Colm’s and the Gilbertson Day Centre At the time, he said:

I tried St Colm's and Lifestyles but did most of my volunteering at St Colms, passing wood for folk to chop, helping stack it, things like that.

I’m looking to do something in the medical field, so it’s good to get experience with lots of different people, to help develop my communication skills. A big part of it is also learning from the professionals - the folk there are very good at what they do.

Ronnie has since started studying medicine at Edinburgh University, and credits his time at St Colm’s and Gilbertson Day Centre as an important step. He said:

Volunteering has given me practical experience and the opportunity to work with a wide range of people, which helped greatly in the decision to pursue my course.