Emmaus Bolton has thanked staff at a local bathroom company for donating three volunteer days to the homelessness charity.
Staff from Victorian Plumbing helped plant a community garden for people supported by Emmaus Bolton at its home and charity shops off Fletcher Street in Bolton from Monday 5 June to Wednesday 7 June.
Victorian Plumbing selected Emmaus UK as their charity of the year for 2023, and a part of that partnership is offering volunteering opportunities to its colleagues.
As well as donating their time, the Skelmersdale-based retailer also made a generous and much-needed donation of items to the charity’s on-site food bank, Lucie’s Pantry, which serves 400 families in and around Bolton each week.
Volunteer support is vital
Director of Emmaus Bolton, Tony Stephenson said: “Our community was delighted to receive such fantastic support from a company with main offices so close to Emmaus Bolton. It was a pleasure to have welcomed staff from Victorian Plumbing and to have received a donation for Lucie’s Pantry was such a bonus.”
“Volunteer opportunities donated by people working for local businesses go a long way to support charities like Emmaus. I would encourage everyone to take a look at our volunteer roles and to get in touch if you would like to help.”
Volunteers are needed
People supported by Emmaus and volunteers work alongside each other at Emmaus Bolton in a variety of social enterprises including a new and used goods store; an on onsite workshop – where people with experience of homelessness develop furniture making skills; a garden centre of plants and flowers; an arts and crafts store of recycled materials and a cut-price café. All help raise the funds to sustain the charity’s community home.
The charity also hosts volunteer groups and community groups, who are involved in recycling and upcycling fabric into new items, such as clothing, items around the home, children’s toys and more.
Wayne Bould, Customer Service Operations Manager at Victorian Plumbing, said: “Volunteering at Emmaus Bolton was very inspirational. It was very special helping a homelessness charity, which aims to be as self sufficient as possible, while working together to give people in need a safe place to live. This is a credit to each and every individual involved. Everyone was friendly and supportive. It gave us great pride to help such a worthy cause.”
If you or your organisation would like to help out, visit here for the volunteer roles and opportunities currently available at Emmaus Bolton.