Taster sessions give youth chance to ‘have a go’ at volunteering

Young people take part in volunteering in Falinge Park

Young people from across Rochdale met in Falinge Park recently to take part in a number of gardening volunteering opportunities.

The day started with the chance to have a go at gardening in Falinge Park helping to make it an even nicer green space for the community. They volunteered with the community garden, weeding and planting whilst learning about horticulture and volunteer opportunities in Rochdale.

Information was available throughout the day to those who would like to make their volunteering a more permanent thing.

Lewis Adderley, 25, who also volunteers as a museum helper, said: “Volunteering has definitely opened my eyes. It’s not just about making yourself useful, it’s about becoming a bigger person. It’s about discovering there’s more to life than what’s currently going on with you. You basically unlock your potential.”

Sarah Gray, Volunteering Officer at Greater Manchester Talent Match, said: “There are so many ways you can volunteer, and so many different things you can do. We wanted to give young people the opportunity to try the hand at different types of volunteering to help them find the right one for them.”

Tracie Powers, Enterprise Director at Vintage Worx, said: “The volunteers who attended on the day were fantastic, they were enthusiastic, hard-working and showed great initiative, more importantly they worked together a team, helping and encouraging each other.

“We know through previous work with Groundwork BBOR that they share the same beliefs and are a leading example of bringing out the best in young people, therefore we are always happy to partner on events that can drive these beliefs forward.”

The event was co-hosted by Greater Manchester Talent Match, Vintage Worx Community Development Trust and Groundwork BBOR.

Greater Manchester Talent Match is a Big Lottery-funded programme offering one-to-one, long-term support to young people to shape journeys towards employment.