Can you share a bit about your background?
I was brought up on a farm. I spent my working life as a primary school teacher in Suffolk and Humberside and then as a head teacher for 25 years working in schools in East Riding of Yorkshire and Norfolk.
I then had the opportunity to go to China and worked for an international school company based in Hong Kong that looked after 14 schools. I was the Education Director and responsible for seven international schools in Shanghai and Beijing.
In 2020, when the Pandemic happened, I came back home in July. I was fortunate and able to retire early. I am a Christian so I prayed and asked God what he wanted me to do next. This led to me setting up a charity to look after vulnerable people in Felixstowe. I took over the running of a local pop-up shop which is like a food bank. We started off with 14 people coming to us during lockdown and we now have over 100 people attending. We open on Monday evenings every other week.
My wife, a very talented gardener, and I were fortunate to have an acre of land, so we designed and created a large garden, building and growing everything ourselves. We’ve used it for charity events including FareShare East Anglia thank you events. We’ve used it to host Ukrainian families to have social time together. Earlier this year we had a charity afternoon tea event which raised £4,200 for the cancer ward at Ipswich Hospital. We try to open it up for others to use. We have a large marquee and several summer buildings that we have built. People tell us they enjoy coming here.
Around 100 people have come from Ukraine to Felixstowe, so I was given old bikes which I repaired and made sure they were safe, and now they are being used by that Ukrainian community and by people working with our charity, so they can get to work or school. I try to fill my life full of things to try and help people because I feel I’ve been very blessed, and I want to help others in any way I can.
How long have you been volunteering at FareShare and why did you decide to start?
I run this pop-up shop and so became aware of the work FareShare was doing. We then applied to receive food from them and were successful. One day they rang us to say they couldn’t deliver the food because they didn’t have a driver and if I could instead pick it up from Ipswich. I then said to them if they ever needed any help, I would be happy to volunteer. Sue, who is the volunteer manager at FareShare East Anglia, gave me a ring and I’ve been volunteering as a driver for almost two years now.
What does your role involve?
I was very fortunate as I was quite flexible to help at any time apart from the Mondays that I do the pop-up shop. At the beginning when somebody was either ill or on holiday, I covered their drive. I arrive around 7:30am to find out which van we are taking and which route we are taking. We then check over the van and make sure it’s safe and clean, and that the chiller is on. Then we load up the van in reverse order because what you’re dropping off last obviously needs to go in first. Once it’s all loaded, sometimes I have a volunteer working with me, but most of the time I am on my own. I take it to different charities around East Anglia. I’ve driven on most of the routes in East Anglia which I have really enjoyed as you meet loads of different people and I’m able to ask them about what they do and how they are getting on. I sometimes also get asked to collect food from a supermarket or a packaging place.
What is it like meeting the charities as one of the faces of FareShare?
Most of them are lovely people who are very thankful that you are delivering the food to them. I’ve met people in all different sorts of settings, from church groups and mosques to children centres and schools. There are a whole variety of people all doing really great things across East Anglia.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering with FareShare?
I love driving and being out on the road as you get to see some really lovely places. You get to meet different people and see what they are doing. Sometimes you get to a town, and you think this is quite a small place and then you realise the huge work being done there where people are helping others who are vulnerable and in need.
I also love the atmosphere and the people at FareShare East Anglia. They are all very welcoming and friendly. There is a great team there.
Have you learnt any skills since volunteering with FareShare?
I’ve had to develop my communication skills and be good at starting conversations, meeting new people, and listening. I’ve also learnt not to judge people and to be open. Too often we judge people according to the size of their cars, or how lovely their homes are or what they are wearing, and we don’t actually know what is happening in their lives. So I think it’s important not to jump to any conclusions or judgement of other people.
What is one thing that might surprise people when volunteering at FareShare?
There are several things. How many lovely people are doing the best that they can for their communities. How many people are in genuine need of help. How much food there is in the system that doesn’t always get used well. I think people would be very surprised about it.
How has volunteering made a difference in your life?
I enjoyed my work as a headteacher, but it was extremely pressured, and I was very stressed. With volunteering, I wake up every day and enjoy what I do. There is no stress, you meet lots of different people and it’s a lot of fun.
What has been your most memorable experience so far?
I’ve been inspired by the people I have met who are doing amazing things for different organisations. People whose lives perhaps haven’t been as fortunate as mine and yet they have dedicated their lives to helping other people, really making sacrifices to do what they do. They’ve been inspirational.
What would you say to someone who was thinking about joining FareShare as a volunteer?
It’s a really good use of your time. You’ll meet lots of great people who are volunteers and paid employees at FareShare. Depending on what role you do, you’ll also meet lots of interesting people which I think will enrich your life.
