When the idea was put forward that volunteers should run essential services as part of a Big Society, the first question that came to my mind was, where are these volunteers to be found?

From my experience, they do not exist. Both Betty, my wife, and I have been involved in voluntary work for many years, and have never found it easy to find people willing to give their time to help.

Pleas at AGMs or in adverts usually elicit no response. In the end, it boils down to arm-twisting behind the scenes and, even then, it’s not a question of picking the best from a long list, but of accepting whoever is encouraged to make an offer.

And it’s not usually just one person that is needed. It’s usually a chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, treasurer, and, no doubt, a committee.

I have been a member of societies where someone has, in effect, been single-handedly running the whole thing for years because of a lack of help, despite the fact the rules of the society lay down a time limit that any officer can serve.

I have known cases where an official becomes ill or dies in office. Then the problems mount up, with the work that the predecessor did having to be broken up to encourage volunteers to come forward.

If the worse comes to the worse, one or more people have to be paid to do the jobs or the club or society is wound up.

Whoever thought up the idea of the Big Society does not appear to be living in the real world.

Derrick Holt, Headington, Oxford