Oxfam Magdalen Street

The tone of this piece of writing is going to be a little different, it will be more personal than the previous posts. As you read through and get introduced to some of our volunteers here at Oxfam, I feel it’s important to include myself in this. So, let’s begin:

Cerys

Hi! I’m Cerys and I am a social media volunteer at Oxfam. I started volunteering at Oxfam around the start of November after meeting Emma (our deputy-store manager) at a university careers fair. My role is fairly straightforward, I help provide content for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, constantly keeping them updated every couple of days for public interest and awareness. And, as you have probably gathered, I am also the face behind the blog! As an English Literature student I love to write, and to be able to write for the shop is something I really enjoy. It’s another, more informative way, of engaging with you, the reader. But, it’s also a more insightful way for you to know what’s going on with the shop and localising it more to the Magdalen Street store specifically.

Prior to me volunteering at Oxfam I had no idea of how many areas you can volunteer within. If you have a particular interest such as: an eye for designer clothing, enjoy sorting books, want to help with finances or even volunteer with Oxfam at a festival – there is something for everyone!

Here at Oxfam Magdalen Street we have volunteers who have varied in their time volunteering with us, from a variety of backgrounds and a range of different ages.

I spoke to a few volunteers to gain their perspective on what it’s like to volunteer here. Like myself, there are a group of volunteers who also attend University of East Anglia and if you follow our social media accounts you will have seen that we have introduced ‘#volunteertakeoverthursday’, where you will have met Ruby, our other social-media volunteer!

Ruby

Here’s what Ruby had to say:

“Due to my volunteer role, I don’t have to come to the shop too regularly but keep updated through Oxfam Great Britain online pages and other Oxfam sources to create content for all social media platforms. I would definitely recommend to a person thinking of applying to volunteer here that it is a great opportunity to gain new skills, experience new things and most importantly meet the like-minded and wonderful people who also volunteer there. It’s such a rewarding place to volunteer!”

Some of our other volunteers have volunteered for Oxfam for a number of years. Trevor Humphries has volunteered for 21 years, John Ward for 15 years and Jean Huish for 14. Due to their length of time volunteering, I thought it would be interesting to see what was the most peculiar thing they’ve seen donated to Oxfam. Trevor said that the most unusual item he has seen was “acar”, and John said: “a live hedgehog! It was at the bottom of a black bag of clothing at the St. Giles Street store.”Georgie, who has been volunteering for 1 and a half years, found two jars of curry sauce amongst a box of books!

It is clear that from talking to people that are in the shop quite regularly that there is a wholesome, friendly feel to the store and it’s also quite evident to see. When in the shop every volunteer always seems happy to be there with a welcoming smile. I myself am not the most confident of people and I was worried about coming into a new environment like Oxfam, but everyone couldn’t have been more welcoming. And even for this blog post, all those who were asked questions by me were more than happy to answer them and it even got a little reminiscent between Wendy, Paul and Michael as they remembered an unusual bad luck charm that was donated amongst some jewellery a few months back and it was lovely to see. It’s like a volunteering family!

So, to end this blog post I want to encourage you all to consider volunteering, even if it is just for an hour a week because as Tesco says – every little helps! And it truly does, that hour could help make a difference. There are the obvious advantages to the role such as: it will look good on your CV and you will get a good reference which will look good to future potential employers. But, there are so many more rewarding factors than that, like meeting new people both volunteers and customers.

What would you say to someone considering volunteering at Oxfam?

John “It is a friendly place to work that will broaden your outlook.”

“It’s great fun, the staff are nice.” Bianca

Paul “It keeps you busy and will look good as a reference.”

“Beyond it being so fun and helping to end poverty, volunteering at Oxfam is a great way to discover new talents and interests and broaden your horizons.” Georgie

Wendy “DO IT!!!”

“Go ahead and try it, you meet lots of people and get to do lots of different things.” Jean

Trevor “Do it, you will enjoy it and of course be helping to end poverty.”

“It is so worth it, so just do it.” Mandy

Michael “It might help you get a job, you will make plenty of friends and of course help to end poverty.”

“It’s great for your wellbeing and you can escape from student life.” Maisie

“Just do it!” Christina

Christina

Michael

Wendy

___________________________________________________________________________

Why not make a difference? If you’re interested in volunteering at Oxfam Magdalen Street and for more information contact: oxfamshopf2402@oxfam.org.uk

Written by: Cerys Rees

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Though Christmas is over for another year, the spirit of giving doesn’t have to be. More importantly though, the spirit of giving back never has to be over!

Have you heard of Oxfam Unwrapped?

There are more than 30 gifts available at Oxfam that allow you to donate on someone else’s behalf ranging from £5 to £500. They are gifts that both you and the recipient purchase to help end poverty.

We have gifts that fight inequality, gifts that build farms, gifts that empower women, gifts that fill classrooms – all of which are a life changing gift for someone(s).

Where and how does your donation help?

Your donations help a wide range of projects that Oxfam run. One more recent case is the tsunami that affected many communities in Indonesia on the 22^nd December. Oxfam are supporting the Indonesian government to provide clean water and hygiene facilities to those affected by the tsunami. Coastal communities in the Sundra Strait are believed to be among the worst hit. So, by purchasing gifts such as: ‘Clean, safe water for a family of 4’, ‘Clean safe water for a community’ and ‘Clean safe water for a village’, your donation may go towards helping those affected by such natural disasters in the world.

Earlier last year, three Oxfam supporters travelled to Kenya to see for themselves whether supporting Oxfam really makes a difference. One of the supporters, Joss, explained upon reflection from her trip that:

‘[they] saw so many signs of progress and impact…women coming together to make a better living for their families. More children being able to go to school because they didn’t have to walk miles for water. People’s lives being transformed because they had training to know their rights.’

With holidays such as Valentine’s Day round the corner, why not consider giving your beloved ‘Valentine’s Lovely Honey Bees’.

From living in poverty, families struggle to put food on the table to support their loved ones. But, having the chance to earn a decent income can change everything. Oxfam provides training for farmers – such as beekeeping – to help them produce and earn more.

“People now come to buy our honey…and I’m saving
for my children’s education”.

In Ghana, farmers such as Vivianne, struggle to get by. But, some heroic honeybees are helping to turn things around and now she’s earning enough from her honey to start building a better future for her family.

Or, a bit further into the New Year is Mothering Sunday. Why not gift your mother ‘Care for Mums and Babies’? When conflict and disaster strikes, new mums, pregnant women and small children are among the most vulnerable. This gift can provide support when it is most needed, providing clean water and santiation during a crisis. In Ethiopia, drought has been devastating millions of families for decades. Oxfam has got the water flowing, repairing wells, trucking water and delivering it to schools and health facilities. They’ve also provided new mums, single mums and pregnant women with money to buy essentials like food and clothing – to get them back on their feet.

Each and every gift/donation goes to a worthy source and please know that by buying these gifts you really are helping in the fight against poverty. However, it is important to mention that Unwrapped don’t have to be purchased directly as a gift. Our friends over at Oxfam in St. Giles Street have done amazing work by collaborating with businesses all over Norwich during the Christmas period, to fundraise in their stores by putting a pot out by their tills, raising money for a variety of Unwrapped Gifts. If you or someone you know would like to hear more about fundraising for us in your store, please contact us on oxfamshopf2402@oxfam.org.uk. We’d love to hear from you!

Oxfam Unwrapped truly are life changing gifts, so why not #GiveTheUnexpected in 2019?

Written by: Cerys Rees

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