Our volunteers

Back Up was founded by volunteers and volunteering remains at the heart of everything we do. The contribution of our team of over 400 volunteers is felt throughout the whole organisation in all aspects of our work. Our volunteers lead our residential courses, run wheelchair skills sessions, fundraise for us, and develop and support our work in so many ways. They have varied ages, come from a wide range of backgrounds, possess unique and diverse skills, and are all united by a common passion to transform the lives of people affected by spinal cord injury. Here you can read the stories from some of our amazing volunteers.

Ali (right) at a mentor development day

Ali trained as a Back Up mentor in 2014 and has mentored 13 people and counting. As a mentor Ali is the sounding board for all the things a mentee doesn’t want to talk about to their partner or their family. He’s the person who can really say “I know how you feel”. Mentoring is Ali’s way of giving back, and it helps him reflect on his journey and see how far he’s come. Ali says, “my spinal cord injury made me realise just how important good things and good people are. I enjoy life more now.” As a mentor Ali has support from the mentoring team in the office and says they really take the pressure off him. He adds, “knowing they’re there is a massive help, they can take over support for a mentee at any time.”

If you want to learn more about our volunteers, you can read their stories on our dedicated blog page.