Abi’s Volunteer to Employment Story

21 Nov 2018

Abi started volunteering with The Wallich in April 2019 before being offered a full-time role in the Communications team in August. Read Abi’s reflection of her journey with The Wallich and the benefits of becoming a volunteer.

Why volunteer with The Wallich?

“Ever since I was younger, I’ve recognised how prevalent homelessness is but I didn’t know how to help. Soup kitchens on Christmas day were always full and I didn’t know what else to do apart from giving money, which I struggled to do as a student, or having a conversation with someone sleeping rough.

In my previous role at Wales Millennium Centre, I worked alongside clients from The Wallich for the 2016 run of Behind the Label.

I then received training from a volunteer coordinator at The Wallich. This allowed me to understand more about the charity and how I could help in ways that I hadn’t considered before”.

Did you enjoy volunteering?

“Volunteering, for me, was fantastic. I instantly felt welcomed by everyone and my efforts, no matter how small, were always thanked for.

I volunteered for two and a half hours each week alongside my full-time job. It was flexible, and I had no pressure put on me about the hours I worked.

During my time volunteering with the fundraising and communications team, I worked on new campaigns to raise money, contributed to designing materials, social media scheduling, research for upcoming projects and any small task I could do to ease the pressure from the teams.

To my surprise, in August, I got a call from the PR and communications manager. They offered me a full-time position in the communications team.

I was absolutely over the moon to become a full-time member of The Wallich”.

What have been your best moments to date?

“Both whilst volunteering and in employment I’ve seen the campaigns I’ve worked on come to life. For example, Wallich Onesies and Wallich Winter Chorus.

As well as my personal achievements, knowing that I’m contributing to helping thousands of people a year and being surrounded by inspirational people daily makes coming to work an absolute pleasure”.

Would you recommend The Wallich?

“I would recommend volunteering at The Wallich to anyone.

Whether you’re looking to give back to your community, want to build your experience or would like to work for a charity in future, you should go for it.

I feel extremely lucky to be a part of The Wallich family.”

Find out more about volunteering and how you can help us to prevent homelessness in Wales.

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