I’ve recently become a trustee and volunteer for Emmaus South Manchester, a new community we’re setting up to help those in need in the Wythenshawe area.
I decided to get involved because I’ve always believed that things can go wrong for any of us at any time in our lives. It’s easy to think “it’ll never happen to me”, but it can. You lose your job. You fall ill. Things become hard at home. You break up with your partner. And before you know it you no longer have a roof over your head.
I have always been very lucky (that’s how it seems to me anyway), but I know just how much of my good fortune is down to chance and not because I’m smarter or because I’ve worked harder than others. I don’t take what I have for granted. So it’s good to be able to do something for those who’ve not had things go their way – knowing that it could just as easily be me one day who needs help.
How I got involved
For the last five years I’ve been a councillor on my local Council, working on a project to build a new medical centre for our community. My wife, Helen, is a doctor. She’s recently come out of retirement to help with the care of patients with COVID. She was the one who told me about Emmaus as she’s supported it for years. We know that many people have suffered through the COVID crisis, losing their jobs and struggling to put food on the table. I don’t have Helen’s medical skills, but I can help an organisation like Emmaus.
I like the way Emmaus doesn’t simply hand out charity but encourages those who benefit to take part in its work so that they in turn can help others. That way they not only get shelter and food, but also a new purpose in life. I like the way that Emmaus is run as a social enterprise, not just as a charity. We collect unwanted goods – furniture, clothes, you name it – and we look for ways to upcycle them so that we’re giving things new life and we stop them from being thrown away.
During my working life I’ve worked in a lot of different businesses and mostly been involved in setting up new ventures. I love the feeling of creating new opportunities, of seeing what works and what doesn’t, and then bringing things together. So, being involved right at the start of the new Emmaus South Manchester is a joy for me, and I have found myself in a community of fellow trustees and volunteers who get on well with one another and share the same values.
Helping out where I can
It’s early days yet and it’s been tough trying to get things going during COVID, but we’ve set the foundations and I’m certain we’ll get there and establish a community supporting those most in need. As more people see what we’re doing then we’ll welcome them in, no matter what their background is. In the meantime I’m happy to turn my hand to anything, whether it’s working as a volunteer by sanding a piece of furniture or painting a wall, or by fulfilling my role as a trustee, helping to plan a new project, or whatever else needs to be done.
If you think this is something that you might find as rewarding as I do, even if you only have the odd hour or two to spare, then do get in touch. I’m happy to talk and share my experiences.