Miriam was in the civil service for 43 years until she was faced with the difficult choice of taking redundancy or relocating. She chose the former, but it left her at a loss as to what to do. 

When Miriam attended one of the vaccination sites, she saw the opportunity to volunteer.

HEY Smile Foundation issued a rallying call for volunteers to support the vaccination rollout and more than seven hundred people came forward to offer their time and protect the community’s most vulnerable residents.

Volunteers were required to signpost people arriving for their vaccinations at vaccination hubs and pharmacies in towns across the East Riding.

Miriam says “I want to say a big thank you to Smile, volunteering has really helped me with my mental health, it has helped me transition from working life into doing something new and fulfilling. I feel honoured and humbled to have been given this opportunity, it has had such a positive outcome for me, as well as providing an essential service to the community.”