On Friday 2 June, the Donation Station and Community Network teams took volunteers out for lunch and hosted a special celebration event, to say thank you for all their hard work and commitment to the services. They were also awarded a certificate each, signed by Kent Area Manager Senet Yohannes.

We caught up with Helen Lawrence who runs our Community Donation Station charity shop in Folkestone. She wanted to give a big National Volunteering Week shout-out to her amazing shop volunteers!

Helen’s story

Helen originally started working for United Response as a Support Worker, then became a Job Coach, before supporting people to volunteer on a market stall.

In 2017, Helen and the Kent team spotted there was a permanent shop space available that was just down the road from our local hub The Community Network and they decided to go for it!

The owner of the premises decided let them us the space rent-free initially, so long as they paid the rates and the Cheriton community came together in support, donating saleable items and much-needed funds so they could stay:

“It’s self-funding and it’s for the community – everything comes in from the local community and we sell the items back to people at a reduced price,” said Helen.

Helen stressed that the Donation Station’s success is thanks to her team of volunteers:

They’re great. The fact is – we wouldn’t have a shop without them.

She explained how some volunteers start off shy – particularly people who have anxiety or other mental health problems – but that they go on to feel confident in their abilities, thanks to the support of the team.

“We’ve had several people go on to paid employment elsewhere,” she added. “Because we gradually build their skills up, they learn how a shop runs and then they feel confident enough to look for more work.”

Find out more about our Kent services

Meet the volunteers

Marion Apsey’s been volunteering at the shop since it opened. As well as serving customers and sorting donations, Marion also sells crafts that she’s made:

A few weeks ago, I made some little crochet animals, which I put on the top of the till, and just asked people if they’d like to make a donation, and I raised £50 for the Community Network’s food larder.

Crafty: some of Marion’s jewellery for sale

Marion loves chatting to customers. She says they always compliment how tidy the shop is and comment on how ‘it doesn’t smell like a charity shop’!

“The Donation Station is unique. It’s the only one – we’re not part of a chain,” she added.

Marion works with Ailsa who is supported by United Response and also Billie. Both volunteer at the shop for work experience.

“It’s about building up their confidence,” she said. “I quite like doing that – being able to show somebody what I’m doing my way, and then they can adapt to their own way.”

Marion stressed how important the shop is, not just for customers and volunteers, but for the whole town:

We’ve raised money for bits and pieces that actually gets spent within the community, like the Christmas lights switch-on, an Easter bunny trail – the money they that raise through the shop pays for little things like that, which is really nice.

Marion’s husband Dave also volunteers at the Donation Station and has been there from the start. Through chatting to Helen, Dave found out that the team kept getting electrical items donated, but they couldn’t sell them without them being ‘PAT tested’ first.

“I took a course online and got myself a certificate for PAT testing, then it just went viral really,” said Dave.

I get all the electricals in, safety check them, make sure they all work, PAT test them and sell them off myself, then I donate all the money I get back to the shop.

Proud: Dave and Marion with their thank you certificates

Once a month, he hosts ‘Dave’s Electrical Sale’, a hugely popular event at the shop with lots of demand:

“I take note of what people want, turntables, good quality TVs, keyboards… we raise on average about £200 a month.

“It’s a way of recycling,” said Dave. “Instead of going to the dump, it comes to me. Then I can repair it, or if I can’t, I cut the leads off and give it to the local metal merchant.”

Pat and Roger West, 78, have also been volunteering at the Donation Station since the beginning. Roger, who used to be Town Mayor, opened the store on their first day. Now they call him ‘the battery boy’ because he seeks out batteries for any kids’ toys that don’t work!

Dedicated: Roger has volunteered at the Community Donation Station since day one

Pat used to work in nursing homes and also a support worker for United Response. She enjoys working with people we support and helping customers from the local community. She also loves volunteering with her best friend Jean – the two of them ‘are always giggling out the back’!

Jean likes the social aspect too, but says the best part is giving something back to the Cheriton community:

We laugh a great deal. It’s a very nice atmosphere. It’s nice to be involved in something. As we’ve got older, we’re less able to do the things that we used to do.

At the Donation Station we’re very much aligned on how we can help the general community – people who are obviously struggling these days. I think those of us who are able to, have got to step up a little bit and help where we can.

I think we’re very conscious, not only of collecting money for United Response, but also having our goods at a price that people who have less money can afford.

Jean also enjoys working with people we support:

I think it’s important, especially at the moment, that we offer support for people who’ve got learning disabilities, physical disabilities or both. There’s Ailsa, who we see very regularly and Graham – there’s various people that we’ve come to know, who do need that little bit of support.

Why volunteer?

Jean thinks volunteering is great for people who need work experience or who just want to do something social where they can meet others:

If you’re a bit younger, you might not have been in work, so it’s a very good environment to learn and gain experience.

Equally, if you’re a bit older, and maybe your social circle has shrunk or non-existent, we’re quite a friendly bunch and everybody’s welcomed in.

I think it gives somebody a focus too – even if it’s only one day a week, it’s a focus. Getting you out of the house and doing something that you can actually see is a benefit to other people.

Our Kent teams are always on the lookout for new volunteers. If you can spare a couple of hours a week to help out at either at the Donation Station, the Community Network or both, please email: Helen.Lawrence@unitedresponse.org.uk or Rachael.Stickells@unitedresponse.org.uk

Uniform is provided and volunteers get 10% discount on any purchases at The Community Donation Station.

  • Jenna Lloyd is Senior Content Officer at United Response.