I only planned on volunteering for a few weeks
In 2002 Elizabeth Dyet started volunteering for BHF at her local shop, with the thought of just volunteering for a few weeks. But 20 years later she’s still at BHF as a paid member of the team as our fantastic Volunteering Reporting Manager. She shares her wonderful journey, and why volunteering could be the best decision you make…
Elizabeth started volunteering in 2002 at her local shop working behind the tills, in the stockroom and window dressing.
She had just left university and was struggling to find a job due to lack of experience, so volunteering seemed like a great way to gain experience. Elizabeth’s grandfather had also had a heart attack in his forties, so her and her family were all supporters of BHF and aware of our lifesaving research.
Elizabeth remembers the shop always felt welcoming and friendly and the manager would often have a chat with her when she visited. She’d never considered retail work but once she got stuck in, she realised she loved it!
Volunteering also helped her mentally, “Volunteering really helped me when I was at a low point in my life. I had been diagnosed with clinical depression and looking for work and constantly being rejected due to lack of experience was tough. Volunteering gave me so much confidence and restored my self-belief.”
The cherry on top of the cake, Elizabeth also met lots of wonderful people while volunteering, including one lovely volunteer who introduced her to her son because they had a lot in common – they’ve now been married for 15 years!
Despite thinking she’d only volunteer for a few weeks, Elizabeth had a very positive experience and continued for two years and considered this could be a great career!
In 2004, she started paid employment with the BHF as Assistant Shop Manager. Followed then by being promoted to manager of another branch and went on to become an area training shop manager.
She then moved from there into the retail volunteering team, who support shops and stores to recruit and look after volunteers. Elizabeth says “I really enjoy being part of this team as I know how much I gained from volunteering and I’m always keen to share that experience. I can’t believe I’ve been working for BHF for 20 years now, when I only planned on volunteering for a few weeks!”
Elizabeth recommends volunteers to keep an eye on the BHF website for any vacancies, and suggests asking your manager for advice on what skills you could develop.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for being such a brilliant member of the team, and carrying out all your roles with such energy and passion – here’s to another 20 years!