Meet Liam

“You don’t need money to keep you motivated when you’re helping people out.”

Meet Liam.

Alongside studying level 3 qualifications in Business and Digital Marketing, Liam has been volunteering his time at St Oswald’s Hospice in the Gateshead shop for the past three years. We caught up with him about his biggest takeaways from volunteering in St Oswald’s Hospice’s retail team.

How long have you been volunteering in the Gateshead Shop?
Going on three years this year. I’ve been a volunteer since November 2021.

How did you start volunteering in the shop?
I started in sixth form for work experience. I enjoyed it and stayed on after I finished school. I started whilst social distancing was still in place but then I adapted when it loosened and it made it a lot easier and more rewarding communicating with customers.

What does a typical day volunteering look like?
Carrying donations up the stairs; working the till; and rotating clothes, DVD and CDs. We refill our DVDs and CDs pretty much every week to provide customers with variety.
I think working the till is my favourite because I feel fulfilled when helping customers. It’s also made me realise that you don’t need money to keep you motivated when you’re helping people out.

What have you learnt whilst volunteering?
I’ve met different people and I’ve learnt about what our customers are wanting to buy and the latest trends. It’s also given me a lot of confidence, especially when speaking to members of the public.

Going forward, how will your volunteering experience help you?
I’d definitely be able to go into another retail job with confidence. Volunteering has made me more familiar with the demands of a role in retail and has helped develop how I interact with and help my colleagues and customers.

How would you describe the care St Oswald’s Hospice provides in 3 words?
Helpful, diverse and compassionate.

Would you recommend volunteering at St Oswald’s Hospice to other people?
Yeah, I would definitely recommend it. It teaches you that you don’t need money to be motivated. You also get the opportunity to help people a lot whilst simultaneously learning a lot from it.

Thank you very much to Liam and all of our retail volunteers whose hard work and dedication in each of our 23 shops is invaluable to supporting the high-quality care that St Oswald’s Hospice provides.