MSDP is a charity and we rely on our volunteers to help us run various aspects of our work. One of our volunteers is Jackie Barrow, who joined us in 2022.

Jackie was born Deaf to hearing parents and uses speech, but also uses some BSL. Jackie finds it hard sometimes to understand what people are talking about and asks them to explain or break it down, which helps with communication.

She was part of the MSDP community for a long time before starting to volunteer with us. She was encouraged to become involved by members of staff from MSDP, as they could see that she would enjoy the opportunity to meet new people and support the Deaf community.

She is a keen seamstress and has attended a lot of sewing courses, so her involvement in the sewing club and ‘Knit and Natter’ is really appreciated. Jackie volunteers all day on a Thursday and is also involved in various other activities, such as the coffee morning where she helps to make the teas and coffees and to keep track of the fees.

Jackie is a proud Mum of four children. Her son Tom has enjoyed seeing his Mum flourish, commenting: “Mum has really grown in confidence since she started volunteering for MSDP. She loves the social aspect of being with the other volunteers.”

Supporting the Deaf community is a really important part of our work at MSDP, and providing volunteering opportunities for people like Jackie is a tangible way for us to do this.

“MSDP really value and appreciate their volunteers and the time and dedication they give, whether that be on reception, social activities or the bar, they all make sure a difference. Thank you.”

Karen Devlin, Volunteer Coordinator at MSDP