Our volunteers are so important to us at MASH and each month we will be posting a round-up of volunteer highlights that have been published on our social media.
Thomasin is one of our fabulous volunteers at the Drop-in. She has only been in the role since the end of March, but has taken to the role like a duck to water, with her past volunteering experiences definitely being beneficial. She is always using her initiative in the role, looking for other things to help out with when it is quieter. Her compassion for the women and MASH’s values in general is also clear to see.
Thomasin is a fantastic volunteer. The kindness and care she shows towards the women is amazing, even brushing and braiding one service users hair to make her feel better as she was feeling low that day.
Drop-in Development Worker, Hannah
We also said goodbye to two of our amazing regular, Drop-in volunteers: Ella and Natasha.
Ella has been a volunteer with us since January 2023, starting out as a student on placement with University, to becoming a regular Drop-in volunteer on Fridays.
Ella is nothing short of fantastic. She is reliable, warm-hearted and full of energy. Her way with the women is lovely to see, always making anyone who enters not feel judged and feel accepted. We are sad that Ella had to end her volunteering with us as she heads on home and off on some exciting adventures. We will miss you Ella, keep on being amazing!
Senior Frontline Worker, Chanti
Natasha is an amazing volunteer for us at MASH. With just 4 months of volunteering, she has made such an impact. She has volunteered weekly at the Drop-in, never missing one of her shifts. She is proactive, always helping to lead on any creative activities and has also put her hands into cooking. Her commitment to MASH is amazing to see and it is volunteers like her who allow us to function and support our service users.
Volunteer Coordinator, Solomon
Our Outreach volunteers are also so important to us at MASH. Amy has been a volunteer with MASH over a year now. She is dedicated to supporting women on outreach at night, whilst also helping out at the Drop-in when she can.
Amy is so compassionate, showing a great, caring nature and commitment to the charity sector. She is lovely and great with the women we support.
Oldham, Rochdale and Bury Worker, Sam
Our Drop-in volunteers are key for welcoming the women, making cups of tea, food and much more. But there is more to the role than just that – we also need other jobs doing like tidying the clothing donations and sorting condom packs ready to be distributed to the women to make their work safer. Hasia is one of our crucial volunteers who helps out every Tuesday.
Hasia is a ray of sunshine and always uses her initiative to get various jobs done. She is a helping hand when women enter and her cheery personality is such a good energy to have around. But when it is quieter, she makes sure to prepare condom packs, tidy up in the store room, re-stock biscuits and much more. She goes above and beyond, also being so encouraging to a service user who was very tired at drop-in recently and helped to keep her really engaged. She is fabulous!
Students on Placement, Olivia and Nicole
Many of our volunteers also start off as students on placement with their university, learning more and more about how to support women, leading to them becoming volunteers with us. Oonagh is a critical example of this. We couldn’t run MASH most of the time without our students. Oonagh has stayed with us since she finished her placement.
From a student on placement to a reliable volunteer, Oonagh has become a key part of MASH. Oonagh is always a helping hand at both the Drop-in and Outreach shifts at night. She is so calm, and has a lovely manner when speaking to all of the women we support. We can’t thank her enough.
Volunteer Coordinator, Solomon
As well as being key to our services, volunteers are crucial to our fundraising and events. Ola is apivotal volunteers who allows us to do this, as well as going out on the van almost weekly with a staff member. She has been with us 3 years now.
She is caring and wants to help out whenever she can, covering short-notice and helps at events like the Arndale fundraiser and completing a 10k. She has such a passion for MASH and the women that we support, and is an absolute joy to work with and always goes above and beyond!
Fundraising and Marketing Officer, Janelle
Lastly but not least, we always encourage our amazing volunteers to bring any skills they have to our Drop-in. This is not only so volunteers can showcase their talents, but primarily, so service users can learn a new skill and do something they may never have done before. That is why we were thrilled when our lovely Jess said she loved making zines and wanted to lead a session at the Drop-in with the women. Zines are a way of expressing your feelings and opinions, in an almost mini-magazine/leaflet. They allow you to fully use your imagination. When Jess led the session, the women were so engaged, and “One service user was really keen to do them again.” Thank you Jess for allowing MASH’s service users, who are often so marginalised from society and not given the chance to learn new skills, to really delve deep into their creative minds and make something so beautiful.
Thank you to all of these volunteers who have been highlighted this month, but also to every single one of our volunteers who give up their time. That is why we treated our volunteers to an amazing social at Navarro Lounge and Royal Northern College of Music for their Pop Orchestra: Original Artists Editiion.
