On Tuesday, the 31st of January, I headed to Church Manor Estate’s Open Day in Brixton to promote our volunteer roles to residents & locals. The choice of event was not random: within the past month we’d been developing a relationship with Southern Housing, who run the estate and who have kindly offered to host our training course for new volunteers in Spring! ✨
Alison – Southern Housing’s Community Wellbeing Co-ordinator – and her colleagues greeted me at the door as I arrived and walked me to the room where we’d be set up for the day. Our volunteer Jed, who’d promised to come round and speak to residents about his volunteer journey with us, was already there, waiting for me to arrive.
Jed and I were about to start setting up our stand when, to my dismay, I realised that I couldn’t find our banner and posters anywhere! Having just taken the bus to get there, I assumed I’d forgotten them on the bus! It was a stressful moment, but Jed helped me find the number of the bus’ lost & found unit and reassured me that everything would be ok.
2 doughnuts and coffee later, Jed and I finished setting up the stand with the resources I had on me when Annette, another Home-Start Lambeth volunteer who had agreed to support us on the day, walked through the door.
The three of us were having a great time chatting to one another and networking with other charities in the room when suddenly a flow of families started to arrive. These were mainly Church Manor Estate residents and locals and were keen to listen to Jed and Annette’s volunteer journeys with us. Jed and Annette spoke about their experiences supporting multiple families in Lambeth with fondness, and, in no time, we managed to get 4 volunteer signs ups!
As I was walked back to the office at the end of the day, a warm feeling of gratitude came upon me: gratitude towards our incredible volunteers and life, for allowing me to work in a field I’m passionate about. As I walked past the bus stop where I’d taken my bus from earlier in the day, I couldn’t contain my excitement as, to my greatest surprise, the banner and posters that I’d thought I’d left on the bus were there, waiting for me! What a great day this was after all! 😆
Sophie – HS Lambeth’s Volunteering & Communications Officer