A Volunteer's Story
Volunteering keeps me on my toes
Amber Reeve of Windmill Hill is appealing to anyone who has a bit of spare time to join her in volunteering for local charities.
“After I returned from travelling in Asia I was sure that I did not want to return to my old job in Customer Services but instead wanted to go in a new direction in life and use my skills to make a difference. I had very little experience in this field, and therefore was casting about for a way to broaden my knowledge and experience in order to improve my CV and increase my appeal to future employers.
I was lucky enough to hear of Cherry D; a fantastic local charity that helps a wide range of local community projects in Bristol by giving them free advice and support on all aspects of running a charity in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Once I had taken a look at their Annual Review on their website I had a good idea that helping out at Cherry D would not only increase my chances of being employed in the Voluntary Sector but at the same time give me the chance to Give Back to Bristol.
Cherry D were really flexible about working around the paid work I have and gave me a thorough induction session where they found out where my strengths and weaknesses lie, as well as giving me the chance to ask vital questions and say what I wanted out of the relationship. Having agreed a personal development plan I got straight to work; starting with helping out on a mail-out to business supporters, then talking to local retailers about taking collecting tins and Community Fundraising and now I am spearheading their Volunteer Recruitment Drive.
I absolutely LOVE volunteering for Cherry D; they are a great team working out of a large sunny office in the centre of town and have a passion to help local charities for free who so badly need our support. I feel privileged to be able to offer my time to help them in any way I can, and am impressed with the work they do with deserving local charities like the Avon Sexual Abuse Centre, FareShare Southwest, Caring at Christmas Nightstop and so on.
I recommend to anyone who has found it hard to get back into the job market to keep actively involved in the city we live in and donate your time and skills to a local charity like Cherry D. If anyone would like more information about volunteering please do get in touch with me via Mandi on 0791 765 2515 or by emailing hello@cherryd.org