Volunteer stories

Ying volunteers in our shop on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh.

"We have volunteers from all over the world, so it’s nice that they can share their experiences. It’s really fun. I used to be a very introverted person and was afraid of talking with people, but now I’ve become more confident."

Find out more about Ying here

Alison has been volunteering as Branch Chair of our Anglesey Branch in North Wales for 28 years.

"We’re all here for the same reason. We know when we’re making a cup at a coffee morning it isn’t just a cup of coffee. It improves children’s lives. When we collect money outside our local football and rugby clubs in the rain, it will improve children’s life chances."

Find out more about Alison's role.

Kaf is the Shop Leader in our Eltham shop in South London. 

"Volunteering is an addiction for me! I am thankful I fell into volunteering in the shop. Giving back saved me. It improved me, made me look outwards rather than inwards.

Our customers come from all different walks of life. I find my confidence has increased chatting to so many people. We always take time to say thank you to people giving donations, coming in the shop to look around, buying items or dropping some coins in the pot."

Find out more about the day in the life of Kaf .

Stephen volunteers twice a week at the Save the Children shop on Byers Road in Glasgow. He started volunteering after returning here from London when his job ended

"It's just such a positive environment. It's such a good vibe to work here and it's never, never dull. It's a brilliant way to meet people. You meet lots of interesting people, both the other volunteers and the customers who come in, and there's lots and lots of very interesting customers come and have a chat with you ."

Do you have a particular skill you’d like to put to good use or one you really want to learn? Or are you just looking for something fun to do with your spare time? 

If you’re interested in joining our group of amazing volunteers you can search our latest opportunites and help us save children’s lives.

We get asked a lot of questions about volunteering so we've tried to answer as many of these as we can in our frequently asked questions page.