Volunteers Stories

When the position of Project Supervisor became vacant, I decided to apply as I felt I could manage the role and I had a lot to offer and I was successful!! After settling into full time work, I still wanted to volunteer with a local organisation so I contacted Volunteers Greenwich and they put me in touch with The Metro Centre helping with their Pitstop on Wednesday evenings, where gay men come for HIV tests. I am still volunteering at the Metro Centre, nearly two years later and have also become involved in other volunteering activities.

I am now working at Volunteers Greenwich and the LEAD Greenwich Training Network, helping to support the local voluntary sector provide better training and learning. It has been a big jump from where I first started but I feel confident in what I am doing, due to all the experience I gained as a volunteer.

Working at Battersea has increased my confidence. I concentrate on what I'm doing and if I need help I'm not afraid to ask for it.

The travelling however is not good for me. I absolutely hate it. It makes me feel very nervous.

I have learned a lot more about cats than what I thought I knew before. Every time I work I learn something knew by all the different cats I get to meet.

I feel doing this job has made me more contented and does make me feel that there is something I am good at. Doing my job has given me a day during the week to look forward to and wonder what cats I will meet. At the moment thinking about the future I would like to stay involved in animal welfare. As for doing college courses or anything I really can't think that far ahead. But this job I love. So I think I would like to work in animal protection.

I now colour place mats for Age Concern and I feel as if I am helping when I see people eating their dinner with their plates resting on my work. I feel as if I am of some use and that disabled people are not always a burden on society.

There are schools throughout S E London and Kent desperate for new governors, especially those who can bring a business mind to the table to offer a different viewpoint. Various educational and health bodies are often looking for non-executive directors or steering group members where again a commercial mind can be very useful.

You can adopt a local school or hospital and offer your labour to help enhance the surroundings or mentor youngsters, helping with their reading and arithmetic, or just giving them an adult outside of their family or teachers who they can relate to and seek advice from.

Ask your staff if they have any pet projects they would like the company to support, this works for you too, people like to work for a business that is keen to help others rather than just make more money.

We have been working with an organisation called LACES which involves an ex-offender talking to vulnerable young people and first time offenders, advising them graphically of the grim reality of a life behind bars. By designing a new logo and brochure, getting our suppliers involved by supplying the reprographics and printing the job free of charge we are raising LACES profile. We are also seeking funding channels for LACES from public and private sectors and advising on presentation methods. There are other similar bodies out there crying out for assistance to help them make life for other people just that little bit better - seek and ye shall find.

Image Directors are in the final stages of accreditation for a Community Mark Award which can be sat at the bottom of our letterhead which publicly states that we have adopted a CSR plan and carried it out. Who knows that little mark may be the deciding factor between us and a competitor bidding for a lucrative contract one day - and maybe it won't - but we have already had our reward in just knowing that we've helped.

Then one day I was reading the local newspaper and saw an article appealing for volunteers to work for the witness service at Woolwich Crown Court. I was so intrigued that I rang to find out some information about this.I was invited to go to the court and have a chat to the lady who ran the Witness Service. She explained what I would need to do and that it would only be one day a week that I would be volunteeringf for. There would be some training that I would have to attend wich all of my expenses would be paid for.

I had an interview, did the training and started to volunteer. The very first case that I was supporting witnesses in was an armed robbery. I didn't think I would cope, but seeing the defendents in the dock without the balaclavas and guns really helped me to get over the bad experience.

I have really learned a lot as a volunteer about the legal system and about supporting people, this is such a worthy job and you get a great deal of satisfaction from volunteering.

As a result of volunteering for four years I was asked if I would like to take on the job as the co-ordinator and I went for the interview and was offered the job which I have now been doingfor five years and really enjoying it. I have a team of volunteers and we are always looking for new people to join us.

My life has totally turned around because I became a volunteer for the Witness Service.

Melissa began to volunteer with Volunteers Greenwich and although it was initially overwhelming due to her lack of administrative experience, Melissa found the people she worked with hugely supportive. Within six months Melissa was volunteering as a committee secretary and project support worker, and had taken ten children to volunteer at a donkey sanctuary in Cyprus.

Three months ago Melissa successfully applied for a job as support worker at Volunteers Greenwich. She says "It's amazing because it took me so many years to figure out what was missing in my life, when all the time it was right in front of me - the voluntary sector - something that was more fulfilling than I could ever have imagined."

I enjoy work and meeting people with disabilities. My interest is to become a benefits advisor and by improving my skills and developing more knowledge I am aiming for this role. I wish to gain and achieve. I enjoy working with the disabled people and the elderly. This is because while growing up I did not really take anything seriously. But now I have found something more important. I guess I have now grown up."