Garry Knight says he loves volunteering

The 41-year-old who lives in Ruthin, Denbighshire, is registered disabled.

He volunteers for up to three days a week, working with children and adults at the Caia Park Partnership in Wrexham.

"Voluntary work gives you a purpose, it gives you a sense of being, it proves that you do actually have some value within the community where you live," he said.

Prior to his accident Mr Knight was working 70 hours per week in a restaurant and teaching Judo in his spare time.

If you're constantly put down and being told you're no good I think that you end up feeling really bad about yourself Garry Knight

A crash prevented him from continuing his career and he was told he would probably be using a wheelchair within two years.

"Suddenly to have all that active life and then nothing was hard, I went down a road of depression and coming to do voluntary work actually helped my self esteem and self value," he said.

"I was told by the local hospital that I would probably end up in a wheelchair within two years, the fact that I did come along and do voluntary work kept me mobile and stopped me from getting worse."

Mr Knight helps in an administrative and research role at the Caia Park Partnership, a charitable organisation set up to help people living within the Wrexham estate.

"If you're constantly put down and being told you're no good I think that you end up feeling really bad about yourself," he said.

Lorraine Daly went back to college after volunteering

His friend and fellow volunteer Lorraine Daly agrees.

The single mother-of-two volunteered in one of the estate's playgroups for years before she found the confidence to go back to college and get a degree.

"Through volunteering I gained the confidence to move on to NEWI to do a degree and then go into full time paid work with the Caia Park Partnership," she said.

"I was able to develop a career, gain confidence when meeting new people, learn new skills and now I can help other people.

"It took me about seven years through voluntary experiences to gain my confidence to get a degree.

"I didn't think I was capable of getting a degree, I didn't have the confidence, I had very low self esteem, I was very isolated, having the confidence knocked out of you when you're younger doesn't give you confidence and you need to go through volunteering."

The 33-year-old received her BA Honours in Youth and Community Work three years ago.

She said volunteering is one of the best things you can do.

"One of the things that annoys me is when I hear people say 'I'm only a volunteer' but they're not, they're people with individual skills."

National Volunteers' Week is celebrating its 20th year and 2005 has been designated UK Year of Volunteers.