Helping hands
Julian Hunter is one of thousands of volunteers making a difference to the lives of people across Brighton & Hove. Frank le Duc reports
When Julian Hutter saw someone leave a patisserie near Brighton railway station late in the day laden with goodies, his curiosity got the better of him. He said: “I spoke to the drivers and they said they were from FareShare. They collect bakery products from around Brighton and take them to the hostels. But they stop at about 6pm. There was no one collecting from the supermarket ‘locals’. So I went round all the supermarkets and asked if we could pick up their bakery products when they close at around midnight.”
Three Sainsbury’s Locals said yes. And that’s how Mr Hutter became a volunteer. They come in all shapes and sizes and help a variety of people including the housebound, the homeless, the young, old and disabled. Mr Hutter fell into his role about a year ago and said: “The only night I didn’t do it was Christmas because that’s the only day the Sainsbury’s Locals were closed.
“I take the bread, cookies, doughnuts and so on. I stick them in the back of my estate and take them around the hostels. The staff at the Sainsbury’s I go to really appreciate not having to throw the food away.”
Mr Hutter, who lives in Hove and works as a delivery driver, is now having to get up at 5am for his day job and hopes someone will take on the FareShare-style work. FareShare tries to tackle food poverty by redistributing good quality surplus food from shops and producers to organisations working with homeless and vulnerable people.
He said: “I wanted to find some volunteers to take on where I left off. If my job changes, I might well take it up again. Just recently when I was looking for someone to take over from me, I contacted Community Base in Queen’s Road and they passed me on to the Volunteer Centre.”
“Many have discovered that volunteering can also help them back to work”
The Volunteer Centre, in Western Road, Hove, is an information hub for people who want to give their time and energy – and for charities and community groups which are looking for help. It has more than 200 opportunities online. And last week it celebrated Volunteers Week. It wasn’t alone. The Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Bill Randall, invited helpers at Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) to the Mayor’s Parlour at Brighton Town Hall to thank them and present them with certificates.
BHT chief executive Andy Winter said: “Our volunteers add value. They’re not there to provide the basic services. We employ professional staff. We had 103 volunteers last year, 95 per cent of whom were former clients of the organisation. It allows people to gain experience of the workplace. One former client now runs his own business and works full time but he’s still been coming in twice a week for eight years.”
Next month BHT is holding a free evening workshop about fundraising volunteering. It’s at the First Base Day Centre in St Stephen’s Hall in Montpelier Place, Brighton. Mr Winter said: “The event is for anyone who would like to learn about community fundraising and would like to meet new people and support a good cause.” It starts at 6pm on Tuesday 3 July and light refreshments will be served.
The Martlets Hospice in Hove is also looking to add to its team of 500 volunteers. It’s holding an information day on Wednesday 20 June from 10am to 4pm. The hospice charity said: “Volunteering for the Martlets is rewarding. Many volunteers have discovered that volunteering can help them back to work by providing them with the necessary experience and self-confidence.
“Volunteers are essential, working alongside staff and patients, helping in our gardens, offering advice in our welfare benefits team, assisting in our seven charity shops, our furniture warehouse, eBay shop and online books department, as well as within our dynamic fundraising team. Volunteers play a huge part in helping the Martlets maintain its vital services and have become an essential part of life at the hospice.”
