A big thumbs-up to Amy Charles, one of our customer service advisors, who has started volunteering with the YMCA in Burton on Trent one night a week. The YMCA provides a vital service to young men and women who have hit on hard times.

Did you know in the UK we celebrate Volunteers’ Week from 1st to 7th June? It is a chance to celebrate and say thank you for the contribution of millions of volunteers who make a difference every day.

In the winter months, the Burton YMCA provide a night shelter for the homeless and it was here that Amy first got involved just after Christmas. “The main objective,” Amy explains, “is to get these people re-homed. Some of them have drug and alcohol problems, but others have just been dealt a really tough hand or made a few bad life choices.

“Volunteers get involved with making meals, sorting beds and also things like paperwork. Claiming benefits, if you are homeless, is a challenge in itself, made all the harder by umpteen pages of complicated questions. I do 6.30-10.30pm every Wednesday and it really is rewarding and I feel I am making a difference.”

Come the start of April, the winter night shelter will close until November but there is plenty for volunteers to get involved with all year round.

Amy says the YMCA is always on the lookout for more help at the centre, of course, but also with donations of non-perishable food items to the food bank.

To find out more about how to volunteer at the Burton YMCA visit https://www.burtonymca.org/volunteer/

If you would like to find out more about volunteering visit: https://volunteersweek.org/

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