To coincide with National Volunteer week in early June, Richard Bourne (2&3 South 1997) launched a new charitable venture, Abling – a charitable venture to enrich the lives of terminally ill people and those under charitable car, through a network of volunteers.
ablinguk.com is a free website which enables members of the public and businesses to easily donate their time and make a life changing difference to others. The platform connects people who are willing to donate their time, skills and experiences with those who are terminally ill or under charitable care, as well as NHS frontline workers.
Members of the public who donate their time, skills or services become ‘Ablers’ to the ‘Enabled’ community. In light of the tremendous effort NHS workers are showing during the continued battle with Covid 19 the enabled community has been extended to include NHS workers. Online profiles for both Ablers and Enabled can all be created directly online.
Abling encourages v0lunteers from dog walkers to paragliders or even those who are able to offer a change of scene, and hopes to bring respite and cherished memories to patients and their carers.
The site also has the functionality for Enabled’s to request a once in a lifetime dream that is posted on the website for an Abler to connect to.
The idea came about when I was able to take a friend for a flight in a light aircraft as a bucket list last wish. He was seriously ill with scarring to 90% of both his kidneys and was due to have a double kidney transplant the following week. The operation had serious risks with little more than 10% chance of success. I was able to take him for a 45 minute flight around the south coast and the smile on his face during and after the flight was infectious and inspirational. It was a massively emotional and uplifting moment for both of us and it gave a critically ill person a big slice of fun to fuel the fight that was needed at a crucial time. Amazingly, he survived the operation and went on to get his own pilots licence. He even took me for a flight a few years later to say thank you! I realised then, that donating less than an hour of my time to fill an empty passenger seat to fulfil someone’s dream could make a meaningful impact on both of us.
Please do take a look at the website – www.ablinguk.com. You can also follow us on social media using @ablinguk and #ablinguk.