On June 2018 we were joined by Leif Starkey, a member of staff here at Emmaus Lambeth.
Leif originally joined us as a volunteer back in May, but after expressing an interest in working with us on a more full time basis, we decided to bring him in to join our team.
Today Leif has kindly shared his story with us for our website
“My name is Leif and I’m originally from Brighton in Sussex.
I moved to London to start a new life and find a sense of belonging again after returning from a recent gap year spent backpacking throughout Asia.
My hobbies and interests include cycling, travelling, photography, gardening, technology, the great outdoors and the environment.
I joined Emmaus firstly as a part-time volunteer with the initial aim to give something back to the community whilst building up my confidence again while I took my first step back into the working world.
During this time I was asked to join the team on a full time basis as member of staff, working out of both Lambeth and Surrey sights in a variety of different areas such as an Operations Support Worker.
I was delighted to be given this fantastic opportunity to work in a meaningful role, with a super bunch of people and for such a good cause.
I have a rather varied previous working background including customer service, deliver driving, transport distribution, gardening, computing and IT, all of which have given me great grounding for the varied role I am now currently in.
Every day brings with it new and exciting challenges. I am still currently at the early stage of learning all I can about each of the areas of the organisation that I am assisting with, everything from PAT Testing to online sales, retail to main Hub support and I am embracing and enjoying each and every day.
My time with Emmaus has already been a real eye-opening experience, one of which I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Making a difference to people lives has been so beneficial to my own personal sense of achievement and wellbeing, I would urge anyone who has the spare time to give volunteering with Emmaus a go. I really enjoy working with both companions, staff and volunteers alike who have all welcomed me with open arms, I truly feel like a valued member of the team already even after a short time. The whole Emmaus community is like a second family and one that I am so proud to now be a part of”
A big thank you to Leif for sharing his story with us today!