VOLUNTEERING

Peaceful Solutions Charity

Recently, I have been using my Tuesday enrichment sessions to complete my DofE volunteering With this, I have been volunteering every week at the charity Peaceful Solutions. Peaceful Solutions is a mediation service in London looking to help peacefully resolve issues on a local, family and community level, no matter the cause They aim to stop the cost of finance and personal well being to improve community relations without conflict In my volunteering there I have been working in the back of the shop helping sort through donations, pricing items and helping with sales and donation logging I have found this a fun and enriching experience, as I have gotten to know many new people and volunteers, and have got to give back to my community I would definitely recommend that you volunteer if you can it's a great experience and you can give back to the community through it!

West Middlesex Hospital

I volunteer at West Middlesex Hospital as a ward helper In this role, I help the catering staff during mealtimes and have a chance to interact with patients This is incredibly rewarding as I’m able to provide some comfort to patients as well as ease the stress of the hospital staff in such a highpressure environment It’s also a really good opportunity to gain experience of how a hospital is run and organised!

Abbi Y12

Volunteering at West Middlesex Hospital is always the highlight of my weekend and is a heartwarming experience which I recommend to anyone regardless of whether they are considering studying Medicine Each shift is three hours long and whilst this seems like a very long time it is a rewarding opportunity and break from school work We help give patients their meals and talk to them around mealtimes if they are feeling lonely as well as making teas coffees and hot chocolates for them There is never a boring shift and you get to meet such interesting patients who can discuss a myriad of things with you ranging from a career in repairing steam engines to the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night If you are considering medicine, it is also a great opportunity to see if you can imagine yourself working in a hospital environment in the future In general, it also helps to improve key communication skills and learning how to handle difficult situations when dealing with patients If you are keen on volunteering there is more information on the West Middlesex Hospital website and Chelsea and Westminster hospital also offers the same opportunity

Nur Y12