Volunteer Stories
Leah's story
“I am a relative newbie to Home-Start Hull having joined in September 2018. Prior to this I was a single mum to Toby.
We had found ourselves back in the UK after residing in Australia for 7 years. I spent 2 years adjusting to life back home, negotiating with child support agencies and dealing with divorce proceedings across international waters. Throughout it all I wanted Toby to feel safe, loved and secure. I had excellent support through this difficult time but it could have been different. And it was in this self reflection I considered volunteering.
We live in a world that is becoming increasingly isolated and time poor in spite of the presence and connections of social media. It takes a village to raise a child but sadly for many families this village has disappeared.
Home-Start volunteering has made a difference to me. It has made me reflect upon my own attitudes and beliefs and highlighted the ever growing need for s to re-engage with those around us”
I was excited to be offered a placement with Home-Start through Hull University as part of my degree in working with children, families and young people. I was instantly made to feel part of the amazing team! I was able to volunteer one day a week supporting families and sharing the knowledge I have gained so far in my degree, and as a parent. Home-Start provides families with emotional and physical support through difficult times in their lives which is invaluable and often life-changing. The volunteers are highly valued and supported to fulfil their roles, and in addition are offered various opportunities for further CPD and training. I have continued to volunteer for Home-Start despite my initial University placement ending because I enjoy helping families and being part of the team!
Well done, guys! I always maintain that completing your course and volunteering changed me for the better. It’s one thing supporting the families and the rewarding feeling from that, actually realising your own life has been far from normal, confronting that and overcoming it emotionally is something else. The support I received from the team, and in particular Phil, I will never forget. Two years volunteering and now I have faced previous demons and have gained a career supporting people of all backgrounds back onto that forward path. No qualifications apart from GCSE’s 20 years ago, life experience and a volunteering background with you guys.
Volunteer Testimonials
I am a newbie to Home-Start as a volunteer and I absolutely love it. It has changed my life as much as it has the family I visit. It is the best thing I have done. My own children are now grown up so I wanted to give something back and this has given me a sense of fulfilment and improved my own mental health. The family are always happy to see me, particularly the child, who I can hear saying “It’s her, it’s her”. I want to thank everyone for their support and training and would recommend volunteering for Home-Start to everyone in a heartbeat.
Volunteering has enriched my life I have met many diverse families all with different needs. I get as much out of it as the families I support. It helps knowing you have a supportive team behind you and training available to keep us all up to date.
As l am retired, l find volunteering for Home Start Hull very rewarding. It's knowing that l am in a position to help others who may benefit from my years of being a parent myself. It's also nice to know that what l do is appreciated by others and to see what a difference my help can make to a family. l enjoy the regular training and support that is offered and meeting up with other volunteers.
Other ways to volunteer for Home-Start
Share you skills to help our work
If being a Peer Support Volunteer isn't for you, you may be able to help us in others ways. Many have volunteered their time and skills for:
- supporting family outings
- Volunteer at the After School Club
- administration work
- music, craft and storytelling
- healthy eating sessions
- fundraising
- digital promotion
- and so much more
You may also be able to help in ways we haven't thought about yet.
So if you want to get involved, get in touch and let us know what you have in mind.
Join us as a Trustee to help shape the future of our work with families
Our Trustees provide essential leadership, guidance and governance from their own professional or lived experiences. They also play an important role as ambassadors for our work and can offer particular skills to the organisation (like human resources, information management or finance, for example). We welcome interest from those who can be passionate about our work with parents, children, families and the community.
Importantly, the Board of Trustees should reflect the communities in which we work. We already benefit from a variety of skills, experiences and backgrounds and now need to add to that dynamic and creative team.
The minimum commitment as a Trustee is a few hours each month, to attend meetings or to engage in Board discussions via email and online forums. Further opportunities to get involved are possible too, so we can be flexible to suit individual motivations to volunteer.
If you are interested in finding out more about the opportunity to join us, please contact us to arrange an informal chat.
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