ExtraCare volunteering roles in Evesham: Meet Finlay!

Meet Finlay! Finlay Ritchie is a young volunteer who works at one of ExtraCare’s charity shops, he gives us an insight into why he offers up his time and why other young people should take up volunteering as a form of work experience.

“My name is Finlay Ritchie, I am 16; and I live in Bengeworth, Evesham. I volunteer at Extracare’s Charity Shop in Evesham.

I heard about this shop from my sister, who volunteered here 5-6 years ago. I decided to follow in her footsteps, and I have been volunteering for 8 months, since June 2021. I work on Saturdays for 4 hours from 10am-2pm.

I decided to start volunteering for work experience, to get better opportunities later in life. I chose to work in a charity shop because I have a fondness for them as I was taken to them a lot by my mum when I was younger. I also heard very good things about the staff and environment in this particular shop, from my sister who volunteered previously.

I think volunteering is important as it gives your time and skills to people who have experienced misfortune and who may need a helping hand. It is important for yourself as well as it gives you experience in a grounded setting surrounded by lovely people who you can really learn from.

My role in the shop is to be an extra pair of hands in different areas: I price and rotate stock; tidy the shop floor and give whatever customer service I can for my age. I only recently turned 16 and hope to start working the till on my next shift.

My favourite aspect of volunteering is definitely the staff. On my shifts I am always accompanied by the manager, deputy or both, as well as other volunteers and the friendliness and chattiness of the other workers is very welcome.

I would and have recommended volunteering to other people my age. It is a very good gateway into actually working, so if that intimidates you I definitely recommend volunteering.”

Find out more about how you can get involved and volunteer at one of our ExtraCare locations, email volunteering@extracare.org.uk!