Guild Care appeals for charity shop assistants and collection tin co-ordinators during National Volunteers’ Week

National Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of volunteering, this year running from June 1 to 7. It is a week dedicated to thanking all of those who give their time, commitment, values, energy and skills to our nation’s charities.
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In 2020, the year of Covid-19, volunteering is being highlighted like never before. Over the past three months, our lives have been challenged in ways that we could not have imagined. Our families long to be back with each other and those familiar routines in our lives seem a distant memory. Disruption, confusion and loss could have so easily fractured our local communities but, instead, we have seen a spirit in people that harks back to World War Two.

The willingness and genuine compassion to help others has been humbling, with volunteering groups being created overnight and hundreds of thousands signing up to support those staying at home with vital supplies and caring smiles.

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Guild Care is a charity that has been making a difference to the lives of the people of Worthing and its surrounding areas since it was first established by a small team of volunteers in 1933. Today, the charity runs three care homes and more than 30 community services, annually helping more than 3,000 people of all ages, with professional staff and an army of amazing volunteers.

Guild Care’s charity shops are due to re-open but more volunteers are neededGuild Care’s charity shops are due to re-open but more volunteers are needed
Guild Care’s charity shops are due to re-open but more volunteers are needed

Covid-19 has meant many of Guild Care’s services have had to operate in very different ways to safeguard those most at risk. Also, its 11 charity shops were closed and all of the fundraising events have been cancelled until further notice.

Having its charity shops closed has been incredibly difficult for Guild Care. They are the community face and raise vital funds to ensure the charity can continue providing outstanding services. These services support older people, those living with dementia and their carers, and children and adults with learning disabilities and other complex needs. Also, there are more than 200 Guild Care collection tins in shops, pubs, cafes and garden centres across the area, but many of these places have also been closed, so the collection tins are no longer accessible.

There is good news though. On Monday, June 15, Guild Care’s charity shops will re-open for business, along with other high street retailers. All of our 11 charity shops have been modified for social-distancing and customer numbers in store will be regulated.

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Unfortunately, not all the dedicated volunteers can return yet to the charity shops they so passionately support, as they must still self-isolate. Therefore, Guild Care needs more volunteer charity shop assistants and collection tin co-ordinators right now to continue making a difference to the lives of the people in the area.

Collection tin co-ordinators are needed right nowCollection tin co-ordinators are needed right now
Collection tin co-ordinators are needed right now

Volunteers decide how much time they give and what days best suit them. No previous experience is necessary, just a willingness to help other people.

To find out how you can start volunteering in a Guild Care charity shop or look after and co-ordinate collection boxes in your local community, please contact Guild Care’s volunteer co-ordinator, Mark Phillips, email [email protected] or via the charity’s website www.guildcare.org/forms/volunteer

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

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