Volunteers’ Week 2025

Volunteers’ Week 2025 at TNA UK: Celebrating the Power of Lived Experience

Volunteers’ Week 2025 (2–8 June) is a national celebration of the people who give their time to help others. At TNA UK, this week is deeply meaningful. We rely on volunteers who not only support others but often live with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) or facial pain themselves.

Their understanding, shaped by lived experience, is what makes our support truly unique.

What Volunteers Do During Volunteers’ Week 2025 at TNA UK

At TNA UK, our volunteers are never token helpers. They are central to everything we offer—during Volunteers’ Week 2025 and every other week of the year.

Here’s how they make an impact:

Helpline volunteers offer reassurance, empathy, and practical support to people in crisis.
Support group leaders run regular in-person and online meetings across the UK.
Awareness volunteers place materials in GP surgeries, dental clinics, and libraries.
Fundraisers host Tea for TNA events, run marathons, and build community spirit.
Peer mentors reach out to new members, reducing isolation from day one.

All of these roles require commitment, care, and a willingness to connect. And in most cases, our volunteers bring personal insight from living with TN or supporting someone who does.

Why Volunteers with Lived Experience Are So Powerful

Volunteers’ Week 2025 reminds us that lived experience is not a limitation—it’s a strength.

One volunteer shared:

“I knew I wasn’t a doctor. But I’d survived the pain, the appointments, the fear. That made me want to help someone else survive it too.”

Volunteers know what it means to wait for a diagnosis. To feel disbelieved. To navigate treatment alone. That insight is not theoretical—it’s real, and it makes all the difference.

You Can Still Contribute, Even If You Can’t Volunteer Weekly

Living with TN or facial pain can be unpredictable. Not everyone can volunteer regularly, and we fully respect that. However, Volunteers’ Week 2025 is also about small, meaningful contributions.

Here are ways to get involved on your terms:

Host a Tea for TNA event with friends, colleagues, or your local community
Distribute our leaflets at your local pharmacy, surgery, or library
Share our website and helpline with someone newly diagnosed
Support a relative or friend taking part in a fundraiser
Post on social media during awareness campaigns to boost visibility

Even one small action helps someone feel less alone.

Family Members and Carers Are Volunteers Too

Volunteers’ Week 2025 also celebrates people who support behind the scenes.

If you’re a partner, parent, sibling, or close friend of someone with TN, your role is vital. Many of our most impactful volunteers are not patients, but supporters.

You can:

Run a local awareness stall or distribute materials
Create and manage a personal fundraising page
Help co-organise meetings or online events
Offer your professional skills—e.g. graphic design, editing, digital outreach
Speak to employers about match funding or team volunteering

Support comes in many forms. We value all of them.

Who Can Volunteer with TNA UK?

We welcome people from all backgrounds. There’s no perfect profile. What we ask for is:

Empathy and discretion
A willingness to learn
Respect for others’ experiences
Reliability and kindness

Training is provided. You don’t need medical knowledge or previous charity work. If you want to help, we want to hear from you.

Visit www.tna.org.uk/volunteer
Learn more https://volunteersweek.org

This Volunteers’ Week 2025, We Say Thank You

You answer calls when you’re in pain.
Thank you for staying present when others are struggling.
You give your time, your energy, and your humanity.

Because of you, TNA UK is not just a charity—it’s a community.

To every single volunteer: thank you. You are the reason we exist.

—

Aneeta Prem MBE

TNA UK