Our regular volunteers are with us week in, week out, come rain or shine. They’re essential cogs in the big wheel that is Wood Street and we couldn’t deliver our daily projects without them. A big thank you to Suzie, Dave, Amanda and John. Take a read of their stories below –
Suzie Cueto
Tell us what made you want to volunteer with Wood Street Mission?
I wanted to work for a charity and we often collect donations for Wood Street through our school. When I came to look round I couldn’t believe how much they do for the families that need a bit of extra help. I could also see how vital volunteers are to keeping the charity going especially around busy times like Christmas.
What does a normal day at Wood Street Mission look like for you?
I usually arrive around 9:30 and will help the team on the shop floor. I take our families around and help them choose the clothes, toiletries and toys they need. We have a lot of appointments every morning for the Family Basics project. Once all the appointments have finished there is always a lot of sorting to do downstairs with donations coming in so I try to help them out too!
What is your favourite part of working at Wood Street?
My favourite part is meeting all our families and helping them find what they need. Sometimes the families need help choosing suitable for things for their children or may have a specific request that we need to help with such as a cot or sensory toys. It’s a great feeling to see them leave with so many new things for their children.
Dave Wayne
How did you get involved with us at Wood Street Dave?
It was my wife Val, through one of her colleagues at school, who got to hear about Wood Street. Children were growing up fast and clothes were too small too soon and helping local children in a direct way seemed like a very good way of recycling perfectly good toys, books and clothes. So we collected a load of things over a period of time and I drove to Wood Street with the single purpose of dropping it all off.
Then I met Des!!!
We ended up nattering at the door and before long got talking about what Wood Street did and how they did it . I must have mentioned helping out because it turned out the van driver had had surgery and couldn’t lift anything. This was a problem as in those days a lot of what was redistributed came via collections. So I ended up riding shotgun – one or two days a week. I still help out it’s because the atmosphere is fantastic. They’re a great bunch of people and it’s genuinely a pleasure to turn up and do a bit
Do you have any stand out memories of working here?
I’ve got a lot of memories but Christmas is really special at Wood St. It’s a very heart-warming experience knowing that every single toy is going to brighten someone’s day – just as it should be.
Amanda Crossan
What made you want to support Wood Street Mission as a volunteer?
I always knew that when I retired, I wanted to be able to ‘give something back’. It’s a bit of a cliché but I felt I had an amazing career and had gained so much satisfaction from working in education – being largely responsible for the pastoral care of young people – that I still had something to offer. I ‘fell’ into Wood Street Mission quite by chance. I responded to a Facebook post offering a day experience at a number of different charities. I ticked the box for Wood Street Mission…..and have never looked back! It was clear from the start that it is an amazing charity and has children at the heart of what it does.
How do you get involved with the Books Forever projects?
Being totally honest, when I first arrived, I was put on food sorting, but because of a number of sight issues that I had, I couldn’t see the ‘sell by’ dates! Someone asked if I fancied sorting some books that had come in…. naturally I jumped at the opportunity. From that point I became more and more involved in the organisation of books: ‘Book Club’ events, ‘Book Shelf’ distribution and developing the concept of ‘Book Roadshows’ in (mainly) primary schools. My previous experience was largely post-16 so working with 3-11 year olds was definitely a new challenge!
The Books Forever project is really important to me. To be on the front line encouraging young children to read and to value reading is amazing. As a teacher, I had only too often met post-16 students who struggled with literacy and anything to prevent such a situation occurring is invaluable.
What would you say to someone who was thinking of becoming a regular volunteer for Wood Street Mission?
Absolutely go for it! The charity is welcoming, friendly, purposeful and well managed. The individuals who work there form a strong team with a single purpose – to help local children and families who are struggling – and their common aim binds them together in a way rarely seen. Above all it is a local charity for local people; it’s just so sad that over 150 years from its inception it is needed more than ever.
John Bell
Tell us what made you want to volunteer with Wood Street Mission?
I was first aware of Wood Street, when my daughter in law Sophie joined as a fundraiser. I had recently retired and she phoned one morning asking if I could help by collecting some urgent donations as the Wood Street driver was off poorly.
This gave me an insight into how the charity was organised and worked. What impressed me the most was that so much was achieved by such a small team. I filled in for the driver for two weeks when he took his annual leave and learning more about how the charity worked and being involved with the families we support prompted me to join as a volunteer. That was seven years ago and I now volunteer one day a week. I am proud to be part of the Wood Street Team.
You work face to face with a lot of the families we help, greeting and helping them choose the items they need. Can you tell us about that?
I love being part of the Family Basics team, I greet our families on arrival at WSM and in most cases this gives me the opportunity to determine what their needs are and how we can help, this can range from clothing, bedding, toiletries bedding toys and prams and cots. We are also there to listen if people just want to talk. We can also help with signposting to other external services such as finance, childcare etc.
It’s important that as a charity we understand the needs of the families we support, by getting to know them allows us to tailor our service to help in the most appropriate way.
If you had to describe working at Wood Street in 3 words, what would they be?
Rewarding, fulfilling, inspiring!
