Charity Shop Volunteer – Zarla

Zarla applied for a role of Charity Shop Volunteer with the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation via the VAL Volunteering website.

The Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation is a charity that exists to provide activities, education, well-being services, friendship and advice to those that need them the most. The charity shop is based in Markfield and the role consisted of serving customers, both on the shop floor and at the counter, operating the till and taking payments, tidying the shelves and rails, sorting through donations and assisting with pricing items.

Here is her story of her journey into volunteering:

I am volunteering at the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation and have been here 5 weeks now. I do one day a week at present and have complete freedom to work as much or as little as I want to.

I work in the charity clothes shop sorting and pricing and working on the till. Until coming here I had no experience in retail at all and so the cash register and card machine has been really useful. I have loved the role and it is a very relaxed atmosphere to work within and so this has helped build my confidence hugely.

Zarla’s health condition made her confidence go down, stooping to an all-time low. She needed something to bring her back up and help her to find the the way out. Volunteering helped to guide her giving her the boost she needed to increase her confidence and make new friends.

This volunteering experience has been amazing and I am so pleased I am here. Volunteering here has given me somewhere to make new friends and make a difference. I love it. Thank you so much for all your help!