My Home-Start Volunteering Story: Tamsin
This week is National Volunteer’s Week and we’re celebrating our fantastic Home-Start volunteers across London.
It is only with the support of our volunteers that we can be there for families when they need us most. From visiting families to supporting our stay and play groups to serving as trustees to helping in our offices, volunteers are at the heart of Home-Start.
Today we want to introduce you to Tamsin, a brilliant former volunteer with Home-Start Greenwich who is now part of the staff team. We asked her to share her volunteering story with us.
What inspired you to start volunteering?
I was teaching in secondary pupil referral units, many of the children were struggling with trauma they’d experienced. I could see how difficult it was to help them once they were teens. A friend of mine who is a social worker told me about Home-Start Greenwich and I just knew straight away that I wanted to volunteer with them. I wanted to be there with a family at the very beginning of a child’s life, supporting the best possible start.
What did you do as a home visiting volunteer?
I volunteered with Home-Start for around two years and visited several families during this time. It transformed me as a person. It was a wonderful feeling, like I had found my calling! Each family was different, for example one of the families had children with complex needs and another was struggling with the immigration system. Volunteering taught me so much about human nature.
One family I visited were particularly isolated as the mum did not speak much English and was very anxious. I visited every week, and we went out together with her children. I helped her navigate the NHS. After many months of getting to know her and encouraging her confidence, she felt able to tell me about domestic abuse she had suffered previously. We were able to help her get support. Later she told me that I had made her feel like she mattered and that she was cared for.
What difference has volunteering made to you?
I think volunteering has helped me become the person I was meant to be. I feel so lucky that I had the time and emotional resources to be able to help other families. It is such a privilege.
Volunteering also helped me get a job with Home-Start Greenwich. I started as a home visiting volunteer and then became a volunteer parent group leader. When I saw my current job come up running a support group for new parents, I applied straight away. I like to focus on the very start of life, and I love meeting new people so it is perfect for me. I feel like every unsatisfactory job I’ve had has given me the skills I needed to do this job, from sales and teaching to standup comedy!
What did you learn through volunteering?
Volunteering helped me learn more about myself and what I’m capable of when I’m motivated from the heart. It’s also helped feel part of my community. I was volunteering and now work close to where I live and whenever I go out, I see families that I know. It has made my local area a home for me in the deepest sense.
What three words would you use to describe your volunteering?
Fulfilling, enlightening, and joyful.
What would you say to someone considering volunteering?
I tell people to volunteer with Home-Start all the time. I’d say volunteering will build your confidence and you will make some great friends. Do it!
Could you spare 2 hours a week to make a difference that lasts a lifetime? Find out more about volunteering with Home-Start here.