Before I began volunteering I was living in a homeless hostel and wanted to fill my time with training and new activities. I had no qualifications, and at the time no idea of what I wanted to do as a career. I have always been interested in helping others; after attending a Heart Start Course ran by the Cleveland Fire Support Network and after speaking with Heather, I decided that I would like to apply to be a volunteer with the hope of increasing my employability opportunities and giving something back to the community.
When I first started volunteering, I completed an in-house induction course and I am now trained to install standard smoke alarms and also sensory loss alarm systems and work with householders to identify and eliminate areas of concern.
The volunteering I do makes a positive difference to my community as well as to Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service. I contribute to making the area safer, reducing the risk of domestic fires, and improve living conditions for all.
The volunteering I do makes a positive difference to my community as well as to Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service. I contribute to making the area safer, reducing the risk of domestic fires, and improve living conditions for all.
I gained an NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration whilst volunteering with the Cleveland Fire Support Network and I have also completed a Degree at Teesside University. Over the years I have gained good leadership skills, which have been beneficial in other workplace settings.
I have continued to volunteer because of the great atmosphere within the Network; it has always felt like a family. There is a lot that the Network gets involved with that I am still interested in being part of and I think I will always want to help where I can.
My people skills as well as my self-confidence have really grown since I began volunteering and I thrive on supporting new volunteers through their training as a Volunteer Team Leader.