Gina & Annemarie setting up our “Come & Buy Shop” – preparing for our move!
Running a Centre that supports over 400 visitors per week is a lot of work and we rely hugely on the helpful hands of volunteers. But we are also really keen to help our volunteers grow in confidence and learn new skills or share their knowledge with us! It is a two way thing but there are a wealth of benefits for everyone.
We are often told that helping the PPC thrive brings volunteers so many benefits including making new friends, building up parenting confidence, feeling fuzzy and warm around helping the community and (very popular!) a sense of “finishing a job” – something that can be missing when you step out of your working life into being a parent.
We welcome volunteers on a short term basis (whilst they are on maternity leave, for example) or longer term, perhaps helping get a project off the ground that our staff and trustees can’t do alone or on an ad-hoc basis for fundraising events such as a Nearly New Sales or events which are specifically aimed at raising funds.
Here is a snapshot of the valuable work our volunteers have undertaken in the past twelve months:
- Over 70 volunteers helped us run our four Nearly New Sales; sorting donations, promoting the event, helping on the day, providing homebaking
- Undertaking a review of our Databases and recommending how to streamline our communications.
- Overseeing our “real nappy shop”; sorting donations, setting up and maintaining our second hand shop.
- Giving support on writing funding applications and helping us successfully apply for over £10k of funding for our groups – that represents 10% of our annual income.
- Providing architectural drawings and models for the options for our new home at the Pleasance.
- Packing, moving on donations and coordinating the diary for our move to the Pleasance (almost volunteer led)
- Managing our free library, following up on missing and late books and overseeing the catalogue of books in our inventory.
- Laundring our pillows, cozy blankets and towels.
- Looking after our balcony garden.
- Designing our Annual Report and AccountsStop press….. Stop press…..Stop press…..
- We are currently keen to build a Nearly New Sale Committee – a bunch of dedicated people who can led the organisation of our quarterly Nearly New Sales (our biggest fundraising events) – working alongside our office staff and trustees, you would be part of consist committee that would build experience at each sale in how to coordinate a successful fundraising event (and there is always lots of cake available to keep you energised!).
We have so many roles that volunteers can fill and would love an opportunity to chat through how we can work together. If you are interested, please pop up to the office (when restrictions are over) or email our coordinator by email. Just let us know a little bit about yourself, your interests and why you are interested in helping out at the PPC.
… Have you any interest in becoming a Trustee of the Pregnancy & Parents Centre…?
It might also interest you to know that our organisation is wholly reliant on a group of volunteer trustees who are responsible for the charity and our activities. We presently have five trustees although can accommodate over 10! Lots of room for anyone who thinks they might be interested to find out more about how we operate, what our trustees do and where we have gaps in skills.
There are many skills we need to keep our board fresh and vibrant. If you are interested in this area of the PPC please check the link here to our information document which explains a little more about what a trustee role entails.
If you have any interest in being part of the PPC Volunteer Team then get in touch with Val, our Coordinator, at volunteers@pregnancyandparents.org.uk explaining any particular activities you would like to help with and include a CV.
Nadine, Daisy (current Trustees), Gina (volunteer, previous trustee) & Val (coordinator) “volunteering” to try our new biscuits! Yes! It is a hard life volunteering at the PPC!