Shining a light on our wonderful volunteers

Mary volunteers in our charity shop two days a week, 12-4pm, and has been volunteering with us for 4 years.

“I finished working in 2019 and wanted to do something to ease myself out of work, so volunteering was appealing to me. I already knew Emmanuel House’s Operations Manager so I was able to come in and have a chat with people behind the till in the charity shop about what they do. I then filled in an application via Emmanuel House’s website.

“I started by sorting clothes in the sorting room, until I found the courage [to enter a more public-facing role] and started volunteering in the shop.

“I find it quite varied, which sounds strange but it is. I like making sure everything looks great, pricing, picking out stock, helping with the window display, deciding what should go on the £1 sale rail that day. Then of course talking to customers. It’s nice to be involved in the whole process as I know some places have different people for each step.

“I like to see customers happy with their purchases and chatting to the regulars. The other volunteers are lovely too, some feel like friends now. It’s a social life as well as volunteering, plus it gets you out of the house and into town.”

Thanks Mary, for having a chat with us and giving us an insight into your role!

If you’re interested in volunteering with us, head over to our volunteering webpage where you can download an application pack.