As we celebrate Volunteers’ Week 2025 and World Environment Day, we share Patsy’s story, highlighting how volunteering helps people and nature bloom.
Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust is a voluntary group committed to preserving Llanelli’s industrial heritage. The Goods Shed is located in one of the most deprived areas in Wales, with limited access to green community space.
They received funding from the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme to repair their building and deliver a programme of community activities that promote biodiversity, provide volunteering opportunities and support local environmental action.
FINDING PURPOSE THROUGH VOLUNTEERING
Patsy is a dedicated volunteer at the Llanelli Railway Goods Shed. Initially a volunteer in the community café, she now also leads a weekly arts and crafts group that promotes sustainability and creativity.
Before volunteering, Patsy had been experiencing loneliness and a lack of confidence, feeling she had lost her sense of purpose. Through her involvement at the Goods Shed, she found a renewed connection to both community and nature.
The space became a place of comfort and stability for Patsy, which made it all the more upsetting when Storm Isha caused severe roof damage in early 2024. ‘The Goods Shed is my safe place,’ she said. ‘Seeing the holes in the roof felt like my safe space was taken away.’
GARDENING SKILLS IN ACTION
Patsy became one of the project’s biodiversity champions, helping to transform a once-neglected area into a vibrant, wildlife-friendly space. By identifying native plants, insects, and pollinators, and building bug hotels, Patsy played a key role in enhancing habitats and encouraging ecological diversity.
Her commitment extends to sharing knowledge with others. She has helped fellow volunteers learn sustainable gardening techniques like companion planting, and these skills are now contributing to the development of a community garden.
Patsy says that spending time outdoors has boosted her mental and physical wellbeing. She’s enjoyed discovering local wildlife and learning how to care for natural spaces, while also exploring more environmentally friendly ways of gardening.
FROM WASTE TO RESOURCE
Patsy’s contributions to sustainability go beyond biodiversity. Her weekly arts and crafts group supports a circular economy by repurposing materials donated by the local community, that might otherwise end up in landfill. The group not only helps reduce waste but also encourages creativity, environmental awareness and social connection.
Building on her passion for sustainable craft, Patsy also took part in an upcycling workshop where she learned to use a sewing machine and transform scrap fabric into reusable microwavable heat bags. She now shares these skills with her craft group.
Reflecting on her journey, Patsy said: ‘I’ve always thought that a weed was a flower in the wrong place, and deserved to be there to help the bees. I think that I’m very much like the weeds, but the Goods Shed is my right place to be – to help nature and other people.’
VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK 2025
Patsy’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact volunteers can make. If you’re inspired to celebrate volunteering and volunteers’ achievements, get involved with Volunteers’ Week 2025.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign held from the first Monday in June to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers, and you can find out more at their website.