Having a poster advertising for volunteers in the window of premises waiting to open for two weeks didn’t compare with having the same poster in the window of an open centre. We had a new volunteer start with us on each of the four days we were open during our first full week – we opened last Tuesday after a trial afternoon open the week before – What’s more it’s expected to repeat this coming week. Note that we will be open every weekday with the exception of this Wednesday.
Healthy Planet Stratford Centre volunteers and visitors mingle among the books during our first week.
We’ve had responses to our online ads and through the Team London website as well as potential volunteers offering to join the team in person at the centre.
Every one of the volunteers is on their own journey – each of us with our different backgrounds, at different stages of life – yet what’s been tremendous is the way everybody without exceptions has so far given their all to the project.
Sorting the fiction has got underway.
In some cases where English isn’t a volunteer’s first language that hasn’t been a barrier too great to conquer. It almost feels like the fact our books are used, or in other words have their own unique past, that there’s a healthy connection which has been a positive factor to highlight from the first month of the project.
Longer lasting happiness 