Annie and YS’s volunteering story
We are very fortunate to have some amazing volunteers who dedicate their time to support our mission. Husband and wife team, Annie and YS, have volunteered for four years between them.
“We’re retired, and we’ve got time, so we have to spend our time. This is very meaningful work here.”
Annie and YS
“We heard about the charity from our son, who was working for Willow. He started as a volunteer in the office shortly after his graduation, and then worked there for about three years in the finance department. We learnt about Willow from him, and that’s why we choose to volunteer here.
“We’re retired, and we’ve got time, so we have to spend our time. Volunteering at the shop feels very meaningful and we also get to meet more people and make new friends. We volunteer here on Tuesday and Thursday, four hours a day. Between us, we work through the donations, mainly sorting, steaming, tagging and hanging clothes.
“Our favourite thing about the shop is the wonderful managers! They are very, very helpful, and very resourceful.
“Having moved to the UK from Hong Kong, we now live in Welwyn. Welwyn is a peaceful, quiet town. Most of the people we’ve met are very friendly. We seldom deal with the customers, because we usually work upstairs with the donations, but we have dealt with some antiques we’ve never seen before. We learned from the managers – they know how to Google and search what kind of things they are, so it’s quite funny sometimes. You learn a lot of things.
“The Willow shops offer a very good opportunity for someone who wants be a volunteer because there are all different kinds of roles here. It’s a good opportunity for anyone to try to start as a volunteer, especially with the very friendly environment.”
Feeling inspired by Annie and YS’s story? Find out more about our volunteering opportunities.