PRIME Cymru’s Volunteer Mentor Programme – Help the over 50s into work!

PRIME Cymru is on the lookout for Volunteer Mentors in Pembrokeshire to support their clients into work or set up in business.

The charity, founded by His Majesty King Charles III in 2001, supports people aged 50+ across Wales into employment, self-employment, volunteering and training.

Many of their clients lack confidence and require some guidance and encouragement. Volunteer Mentors give a few hours of their time each month to share their knowledge and experience with those who need a hand to secure a job of get their business off the ground.

Clients really appreciate having someone there as a listening ear to discuss ideas with and off objective feedback. Mentors also find the process very rewarding, finding a sense of fulfilment from helping others to succeed.

Mentor, Julie Grabham, said: “Mentoring gave [my mentee] the confidence she needed to forge ahead with her business and seeing how she has flourished has given me huge satisfaction and pride.”

One of Julie’s mentees was Dawn Parker, from Pontypridd. Dawn fell out of love with her office job and started to re-evaluate what made her happy in life.

She started volunteering at her local community garden and found that being outdoors really helped her mental health. After making the decision to leave her office job, Dawn went to PRIME Cymru for help with her next steps.

She was then matched with businesswoman Julie, who worked with her to build confidence and develop her own gardening therapy business, Happy Boots.

Julie said: “When I first met Dawn it was clear to me that she had a huge knowledge and passion for what she did but was feeling overwhelmed and lost on how she would achieve her goals.

“With my support, Dawn implemented structure to her days, with short timescales to achieve tasks and made clear plans with focus. Over the months Dawn started to see her value and it was like watching a light being switched on as she reflected on her achievements and successes since we first met.”

Dawn said: “Julie has such a motivating, positive and can-do attitude. I used to be like that, and I lost it – but now I’ve got it back! I’m so grateful to Julie.”

Mentors are given free training (accredited by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs) and given access to Mentor Circle meetings, where they can exchange ideas and share experiences with other mentors.

If you are interested in supporting aspiring businesspeople and job seekers, please get in touch at enquiries@primecymru.co.uk or call 01550 721813.