“I enjoy volunteering here because it’s good fun, and there’s a good atmosphere, despite the fact that a lot of people have had significant injuries; some are in wheelchairs, some can’t speak properly, they may have emotional and behavioural problems, yet they can still laugh. It’s a positive environment, despite the fact that the people have had accidents which have changed their lifes, changed their family’s life as well.”

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A year and a half ago, Sara was a student in her penultimate year of an Honours degree in psychology at Edinburgh University . She was looking for some experience in the field of clinical psychology to help her make decisions regarding her professional career. Quite by chance she read a notice on the department notice board and applied to volunteer at Penumbra, which markets itself as “one of Scotland ’s leading mental health organisations, providing a wide range of support services for adults and young people”.

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I had to stop working before I was even 49 for health reasons. When that happened I lost what I felt I needed most - a sense of purpose. But I found that not doing paid work also provided new opportunities to do something very different which gave me a lot of pleasure.

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The role has had a distinct impact on Sofia 's life. The continuity of the post gives her a feeling of stability in her short-term stay in Edinburgh . The experience also helps draw together past professional experience, combining to offer something stronger to continue to build her career on.

In response to the question of whether she would recommend her voluntary post to others she replied spontaneously - "yes! I can only say it has been good for me. It's definitely worth trying out. There's much to get from it - experience, friends, fun!".

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