Pat Grant, Grandmentor

More and more older people are becoming mentors, helping younger people to make the best of their lives and finding a new sense of purpose in return. In the latest issue of Saga Magazine, journalist Danny Scott looks at how mentoring projects such as Grandmentors are making a difference to the lives of beneficiaries and volunteers alike.

Volunteering Matters Grandmentor Pat Grant shares the story about how she became a steadying influence in a young woman’s life. Pat told Saga: “Usually, the goal with mentoring is to get the youngster into a job or education but with Alesha I just wanted to help her sort her life out. Being a mentor can be frustrating at times, but there’s also a real sense of achievement. After I retired I wanted to feel I was still putting my experience and skills to good use.”

“Pat was cool!” remembers Alesha, now 25. “If I told her about getting into trouble, she didn’t write it down and make it all official. She didn’t judge me.”

Grandmentors was set up in 2009 by Lord Freud. Find out more about his inspiration for the project in the latest issue of Saga.

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