15/06/2026
What kind of persons are behind the voice on Wolverhampton’s Age UK Helpline?
We’re happy to share the example of one of our volunteers, Ann Evans, who answers the office telephone helpline, taking calls from people who need support or advice.
Sprightly and lively of mind, Ann is in her early 80s but you’d never guess it. She has an open, friendly manner which immediately makes you feel at home.
She first started to volunteer for Age UK Wolverhampton a year or so ago, after going with her partner on a coach trip the charity had organised. After her first morning on the help line she was such a natural they told her ‘You’re staying on the phone!’
Ann has a lifetime of experience to contribute to her volunteer job. In her early 20s she emigrated to America and worked for two years as a secretary in Chicago. Homesick for Wolverhampton she returned to the city to work in secretarial roles in retail and business before become school secretary at The Royal Wolverhampton School for fifteen years. Her working life made her realize how much she enjoyed chatting to people and helping them sort out their problems.
While working as a volunteer on the help line, Ann quickly sensed a well of loneliness among some of her callers, especially men and women who had been recently bereaved. So, on top of her help line work, she has created a ‘Buddies Club’ where she makes regular individual calls to around 30 people. Ann mentions that there’s a lot of fun in her volunteer work too, and she is always able to share a laugh with her callers.
Driven by a lifelong spirit of service, Anne finds her greatest fulfilment in volunteering—proving that the simple act of showing up for others creates a powerful, lasting sense of personal purpose and joy
