Meet Olivia

Olivia is an A Level Student at Coleg Gwent and has decided to spend her school holidays volunteering at our Ebbw Vale shop.

Olivia had this to say about volunteering:

“I have just finished my AS Levels and found myself with a longer school break than usual before I return to start my final year. Hospice of the Valleys has always been an important cause to my family and I have volunteered  at events like Chase the Pudding and once even did a stint at Morrisons cycling for their Pedal Power Campaign.  I wanted to do something more often to help and give myself something to do over the holidays.

I will be honest though I have another reason for volunteering. This year I will be applying for university, I wanted some new skills to put on my personal statement and I think volunteering and giving up your time for a local charity will look impressive on my application. I am hoping that showing a sense of responsibility and commitment to my local community will give me an edge.

I have really enjoyed working at the shop (so much so that I’m even volunteering for extra days) and hope to continue volunteering on weekends when I’m back in college. The Manager and group of volunteers at the shop are lovely and I’ve always got a story to tell when I get home. I think I have learned lots of new skills, I would never have classed myself as a people person but I am growing in confidence and enjoying being on the till and talking to customers. I’ve learned about Health and Safety, teamwork and customer service. Again these are all skills I can bank for the future.

I am glad that I chose to do something worthwhile with my free time, not just for the charity but for me also. I would definitely recommend volunteering! The only negative is I keep seeing things come into the shop that I want to buy!