My name is Christine and I retired from Greater Manchester Police in 2016 after completing 38 year’s service. I served as a member of the Support Staff and worked for many years in the Criminal Records Unit and finished my service in the Occupational Checks Unit where I was responsible for the processing of Disclosure and Barring Unit application forms. In my 38 years of service I completed various job roles and retired as a Supervisor/Training Officer.
My involvement at Emmaus South Manchester is as a Textile Volunteer. I chose to volunteer as I have always loved to make things and learn new crafts. I love to sew, recycle, upcycle fabric and furniture. By volunteering I can indulge myself in the hobbies I love and the items I make can be sold in the shop to help raise much-needed funds for the charity.
How I got started as a volunteer
I first heard about Emmaus South Manchester after talking to a lady at a sewing club I go to. She was telling me that she was a Textile Volunteer and that they were looking for more people to join them. At the time I didn’t think I would be able to volunteer as I was looking after my grandson during the week and couldn’t really spare the time on a Saturday. After mentioning this to her she told me that you didn’t have to work at the shop, but that you could make things at home that could then be sold in the shop to raise funds for the charity.
I decided to go and visit the shop and after a chat I offered to make a varied selection of Christmas related items that they could try to sell. I spent the next two weeks at home making as many Christmas decorations as I could come up with and then took them into the shop where they were put out for sale and I have never looked back.
I initially decided to become a volunteer as it was something I could do from home. After I retired from work, I volunteered in a charity shop but had to give this up after offering to look after my Grandson so his parents could both go back to work full time. This seemed to give me the best of both worlds, look after my grandson, indulge my hobbies and be involved in charity work.
A varied and flexible role
I currently volunteer one day a week on a Thursday. If for any reason I cannot do a Thursday, I am free to come in another day or just work from home. My role is anything textiles, sorting textile-related donations, fabric, curtains, and all things sewing related. I help prepare items ready for sale, price the item and displaying them in the shop.
We have recently been making fabric shopping bags to encourage people to give up using plastic bags. The sewing room is a great place to spend time with like-minded people, who, like me, love all things sewing.
How much you get involved is up to you. I love to organise and clean, so I have really enjoyed spending time sorting out the room and organising the contents so that we can see all the different fabrics, cottons, trimmings, etc. The end goal being that the room can be used to run workshops, so that people can come and learn all things sewing and we can all share our knowledge and skills.
What I love most about volunteering
I love to make things and volunteering at Emmaus means that I can do what I enjoy and know that the items I make can be sold to raise funds for a good cause. Since retiring I have missed being part of a team and getting involved in the decision-making process, but volunteering gives me the opportunity to feel involved in something that really matters.
Volunteering helps me personally as it gets me out of the house and makes me feel needed. I live on my own and going into the shop gives my week a bit of structure. It is nice to be able to meet and chat with new people and learn new things.
My advice to other people thinking about becoming a volunteer would be come down to the shop and have a chat. It is a very friendly environment and there are many varied things that you can get involved in. Just do it, don’t overthink it, just come down and give it a go.
I hope that my can-do attitude will give others the encouragement they may need to get involved. The smallest of changes in your life can make a big difference on how you feel. You don’t have to be really good at something or have qualifications, we can all learn new things by just getting involved and helping each other.