The Kingston Volunteering Festival included stalls from a variety of community groups
The Kingston Volunteering Festival 2024 took place on the 28th of November in All Saints Church Market Place.
The festival, organised by Groundwork London, showcased different volunteering opportunities available to everyone, including seasonal, one-off, and remote.
Different organisations participated, and gave their insights into why volunteering matters and how you can begin your journey now.
Annabelle Pelster, communications and PR Officer for Groundwork London, said of the event: “There is something about meeting people in person and seeing their generosity in real life and all the organisations in real life, especially around you, they can really inspire you to volunteer.”
Pelster also shared her excitement for being part of the project.
“I am so happy and so inspired to work on this project because volunteering can not only benefit the people you are volunteering for but also it benefits you.”
A variety of organisations shared volunteering opportunities.
Sophia Gregorio, community engagement officer for Habitats & Heritage, a nature and heritage conservation organisation operating in southwest London, explained that their main goal was to work with local communities to restore underused areas and bring nature into urban spaces.
Gregorio said the benefit of volunteering for Habitats & Heritage was in creating change.
“You really get to see a difference,” Gregorio said. “For example, yesterday we were out trying to create a habitat for water voles, they are an endangered species because they have been eradicated by invasive species, such as mink, and you can get to see the actual impact that your work does and the before and after of when you have created that habitat.”
Another charity, Momentum, helps families with seriously ill children. Claire Tiedeman, who started as a volunteer last year and is now in charge of coordinating volunteers, said it was “heart-warming” to work with children.
Tiedeman said: “We look after the families and do everything we can to help them through their journey and make things a bit easier.”
Refugee Action Kingston provides support to refugees through English lessons, translation services and legal advice. Volunteer Joanna Orrell said her experience has been very rewarding.
“[It’s] Just the feeling of giving something back and providing a welcome. I just try to think if it was me and I were to find myself as a refugee in another country, it must be quite scary. I would want to meet local people who I find welcoming.”
Dan Whittingham, marketing and communication manager for Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness shared his experience working with the charity.
“The benefit for the individual is that it is very rewarding, it is a very nice, close community and they can make a difference.”
Whittingham said majority of people who seek help with them have lost their job or are experiencing a relationship breakdown.
He added that one lady has been volunteering with the organisation three days per week for five years.
There were also volunteering opportunities at the event to appeal to animal-lovers.
Tim Seamark-Coope, shared the main benefit of volunteering with Guide Dogs, a puppy-raising organisation.
“Everyone loves having a puppy. You are supported during the training and you make a lot of friends who are going to be doing a similar role.”
He said that the puppies are going to be service dogs in the future, and they offer training in the form of e-learning and puppy classes to help you throughout the journey.
