A case study from Wales Air Ambulance, part of our #CharityShopVolunteersWales campaign in partnership with the Charity Retail Association.
Volunteers are a lifeline for many charities.
Not only do they help with vital tasks and share the load of staff in shops, they can also generate much-needed income for causes.
But it is often overlooked how much benefit volunteers can gain from giving their time so freely.
Take Daniella Spicer. At age 26, she has volunteered at the Wales Air Ambulance Cwmdu shop for seven years. With her mother a long-term staff member at the charity, the choice of cause was not a difficult one.
But her motivation is clear, she wants to help save people’s lives. She said: ‘I love making people happy and enjoy helping to keep the shop tidy.’
Daniella – or Danni as she’s known – has learnt how to sort clothes and other donated goods to be sold in the shop. She’s also a dab hand at making a brew of coffee!
She says of the value of volunteers: ‘I think volunteers are very important as we save the charity money and help save people’s lives. My friends are very happy and proud of me.’
When Danni is not volunteering she likes nothing better than looking after her puppy, going shopping with her mum and helping to clean the house.
Now, as the nation starts to return to normal after the pandemic, Danni is looking forward to seeing all the friends she’s made at the shop and to helping out again.
#CHARITYSHOPVOLUNTEERSWALES
This week (from 12 October 2020) WCVA in partnership with the Charity Retail Association will be sharing the stories of charity shop volunteers in Wales. Keep an eye on WCVA’s website and social media (where we’ll be using #CharityShopVolunteersWales) to hear about a range of different experiences from individuals volunteering in charity shops.
Volunteering during the pandemic should only be done with due care and consideration for the wellbeing of volunteers, staff and customers. You’ll find safeguarding guidance on our Covid-19 guidance and resources page. For information about limitations or considerations for local lockdowns in wales visit: gov.wales/local-lockdown.