Rose's volunteering story: finding a new community

After Rose’s husband died, she started volunteering at her local Demelza shop, hoping to keep herself busy and make some new friends.

 “I’ve been volunteering for Demelza for 17 years. When my husband died, I didn’t really know what to do with myself, and my daughter suggested I start volunteering at the Demelza charity shop in Whitstable. It had been about 6 months since he died, and I just needed to get out and keep busy. I was healthier then so I could do a lot more! My back hurts after a while now but I can still sit down and get the sorting done. It’s just nice to be out and with everybody, and talk to the customers which I really enjoy. I even have regulars who know me by name!

“I chose the Demelza shop because I really liked that it’s a local charity, and the shop was new, and looked so nice and clean. It’s lovely to feel part of what Demelza does – even though you’re not directly involved, you know you’re still making a difference.

“The Whitstable shop I worked in has shut down now, but I’ve stayed with Demelza and moved to the Canterbury shop. I wanted to keep volunteering with my shop mates - six of us have moved to Canterbury now!

“I only do one day a week, as the commute into Canterbury is long for me, but before I did two days. You can just fit it around your life. I don’t love the commute - I’d rather give those hours to Demelza than to sitting on a bus! But I didn’t want to give it up.”

As well as gaining a group of life-long friends, Rose found that volunteering offers lots of other perks.

“Volunteering gives you all the good things about a job – getting to know people, having something to do, but without any of the stress. I know if I’m late, or poorly and need to skip a shift I don’t have to worry.

“I also love being able to shop – I’m always buying things, bringing them back a couple of years later and buying some more! I read lots, so I always buy three books at a time, and then bring them back, so they can be bought again.”

Rose has learned lots of new skills in the shop over the years, from helping customers and working the till, to looking after the sorting, pricing and displaying of donated items.

“Even if you don’t think you have the right skills for it – I’d never worked in a shop before, but they helped me with the till and I’ve gradually learned about sorting the donations. If you need to ask something, there’s always someone to ask, and people keep an eye out for you too. It’s a little family.

“If anyone is thinking about volunteering I know you’ll enjoy it. For me it’s about the companionship really. If I didn’t do this sort of thing, I don’t know what I’d do. It’s just a nice thing - I’d tell anyone to do it.”