Volunteer Spotlight: Martin Heslop

Volunteering has the power to transform individuals, communities, and even the world.

At WERS, volunteers are the heart of our organisation - we wouldn’t be where we are today without them! So, in honour of this year’s Volunteer’s Week, we wanted to know: what motivates our volunteers to do the wonderful work they do every day?

To start off the week, meet Martin Heslop! Martin, a long-term volunteer at WERS, has been involved in various projects, from our buddying project to artistic events like the recent Skimstone Arts sessions. Read his story:

Why did you choose to be a volunteer?

“I became a volunteer for WERS because I had been becoming more and more upset and ashamed at the way people seeking asylum are treated in this country. I felt a bit powerless to help, and just wanted to do something. My two children had both started school so I had slightly more time, and I wanted to use it to help people out a bit. I’d heard so many good things about WERS from lots of people and I read about their buddying scheme and thought that would be perfect for me. And it was!” 

What do you love most about volunteering?

“I have met the most creative, friendly, fun and just generally brilliant people while being involved with WERS. The staff are also incredible, and it’s very humbling to see how much energy they put into their work. The best thing is meeting people from all around the world and learning from them, while hopefully helping them get to know the north east a bit. H [name anonymised], who I met through the buddying scheme, is now a very close friend, and my children love playing with [their] little boy when we meet up, and that’s a wonderful thing to see!”

Thank you, Martin, for sharing your wonderful story!

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