Kel Hughes was first inspired to volunteer because he often visited charity shops and enjoyed the warm and cosy atmosphere, often engaging in lovely conversations with the members of staff or volunteers – so much so, he didn’t want to leave! This was especially true for the British Heart Foundation Teddington shop where he’d often chat with the staff. Kel decided to apply as a volunteer and was super excited when his application was accepted. He looked forward to being part of a team who are working hard to help people and experiencing first-hand the sense of community and good will across BHF.
Outside of work Kel has quite a list of hobbies! From repairing and modifying old technology such as phones and consoles, to collecting CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays. He also loves playing a variety of video games on different consoles (some of which he’s repaired himself!). He’s also a dab hand at video and image editing and plays bass guitar. So, part of the volunteering role he most enjoyed was being in charge of the media section. His responsibilities included sorting, quality checking, researching, pricing and organising the books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl and video games. As a volunteer Kel undertook a large number of tasks as he was so keen and willing to get stuck in with whatever jobs needed to be done.
Kel would definitely encourage others to volunteer, he says “It is very beneficial to young people looking for work experience but also people of all ages who are looking for a sense of community and who want to make a positive change in our world.”
By volunteering Kel was able to grow a wide range of skills which prepared him for a Sales Assistant role. He’s also busy studying level 3 course in graphic design as he looks towards a career in that area, and needed a job to fit round his life flexibly. “I was in need of a job as I needed to support myself, but I needed a job that fit in well with my college schedule which led me to finding a flexible role, within the same comfortable community I had been a part of throughout my volunteering which allowed me to experience the best of both worlds.”
After eight months of volunteering, Kel applied for the Sales Assistant role at our Staines store and was successful. Although there was quite a difference from volunteering to a paid role with extra training, and learning new processes, after just a few months Kel really settled into the groove.
Kel’s words of wisdom for those already volunteering and thinking about going into a paid role at BHF, “I would advise volunteers to get a vast range of experiences while they are still volunteering and to not be shy to ask about how the shop runs and why staff members do the things that they do. I’d also suggest them to gain a lot of experience in doing the tasks that they do not like doing, as the paid role requires you to be flexible in what you can do in the shop. Being good at these tasks while volunteering will make the transition more manageable and will reduce the amount of new things they will need to get used to when you transition into a paid staff role.”
Volunteering and working at BHF has helped build Kel’s confidence even further and has seen other volunteers grow their confidence too. He’s also met a lot of amazing people along the way and made new friends. “I love working on the cash desk as my favourite part of the job is helping customers and hearing how their days have been or sometimes even exchanging stories with each other. I’ve had many pleasant and funny interactions with customers, and they never fail to brighten my day! I often go home from work smiling because I can’t wait to share what I have learned or the interesting stories from customers, fellow staff members and volunteers!”
Thank you Kel for your continued support at BHF, we can’t wait to see how you build your future even further.