“i wanted to give something back”

Opportunities to help come in all shapes and sizes – but however they choose to give back, there’s no denying that volunteers are the beating heart of our communities.

From offering companionship to people who are socially isolated, to providing practical help to those recovering from illness, fundraising for a good cause or helping out in our libraries, hospitals and food banks, a wonderful army of volunteers are making a massive difference every single day.

So, to celebrate all things volunteering for Volunteers Week (June 1-7), My Weekly has been to meet three selfless volunteers to find out how they give back to their communities and why they do it.

It was 1989 when Barbara Perkins organised her first keep-fit-a-thon in aid of Children in Need and despite its success, she never expected the event to be going strong 34 years later.

During that time, Barbara (81) and her team of keep-fitters have raised £28,000 for the telethon. They have been interviewed on live TV and attended a photoshoot with Matt Baker with their pictures used in the charity’s booklets.

“We’ve got a smashing bunch who come and take part,” says Barbara, a retired play worker from Blackburn, in Lancashire.

“I took over the class 38 years ago, and they’ve all stuck with me. We’ve grown old together!”

Barbara’s daughter Annette (58) has special needs and when she was younger, was part of a sports club competing across Liverpool.

When the group’s minibus needed replacing they asked Children in Need to fund a new one, which it did.

A few years later Barbara was volunteering with a group run by the probation service, looking after young children while their parents were visiting prisoners. It wanted to hold a children’s Christmas party and Children in Need provided the money to make it possible.

“That’s why I wanted to organise a fundraiser to give something back,” Barbara adds.

Barbara’s keep-fit group meets weekly and holds its two-hour fundraiser in November.

The group works out to music – everything from aerobics to seated tracks – and collects sponsorship, while Barbara’s church appeals for donations in its newsletter.

“There’s around 14 of us, mostly aged 60s and 70s, plus one lady in her 30s who comes with her mum,” Barbara e