Volunteers' Week 2025: Tim's story

Volunteers’ Week 2025: Tim’s story

It’s Volunteers’ Week and we have something to say – THANK YOU to everyone who gives up their time to share the love of their pets with others.

Today the spotlight is on Tim Robinson, a PAT Volunteer from Beckenham, Kent

Tell us more about your volunteering role with PAT
I joined PAT nearly two years ago. After registering and completing the assessment process, I was able to find a matching placement organisation very easily. Betsy, our cocker spaniel (the star of the show) and I visit Peartree, a local care home in Sydenham most Fridays.

Under the direction of Marva, the activity manager at Peartree, we tend to focus our visits on residents who are less mobile and spend more time in their rooms and therefore often experience less things than other residents.

It is so rewarding seeing the positive impact just a short amount of time spent with Betsy brings. One smile makes any visit worthwhile!

Betsy sounds like the perfect PAT Dog
She is such a gentle and loving dog and genuinely happy to spend time with any dog-loving individual. Her size, temperament and fact that she doesn't really bark often or get phased by new things is ideal for care home visits.

What does volunteering with PAT mean to you?
I decided to volunteer for PAT and visit a local care home as a lasting legacy in my parents memory after losing them both within a year of each other in 2020/21.

My parents were dog owners too and volunteering at PAT is my way of both remembering them and bringing about a positive impact from our enduring loss.

Why should others volunteer with PAT?
Easy – your dog will LOVE it and you will be surprised how much you do too. It's also super easy to get registered and find your first placement and PAT visits are on your own terms. You can fit in volunteering with your existing life commitments.

We are always looking to recruit more volunteers.

You can find more info here

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