In the year and a bit since I last wrote a blog post for the volunteer centre I have been busy. Firstly a brief recap about me. I’m a carer for my mother. Her year hasn’t been good health wise, but she still insists that I get out of the house a bit. So I look forward to, and enjoy, my volunteering activities.
Last time I blogged I talked about my volunteering at Cookstown & Magherafelt Volunteer Centre. I am still volunteering there and I’m happy with the work I do. I’m quite proud to say that I had a small input to the Volunteers’ Week activities been run by the Volunteer Centre.
In this post I want to talk about the volunteering I do a Friends of Charis Charity Shop Magherafelt. I’m sure many of you have been in the shop. Most of the work I do is up in the Book Nook, at the Rainey Street Car Park entrance.
When people come into a second hand bookshop they have this fantasy that it must be the best job in the world. They think that we place the books on the shelves, help people pick something good to read, have a wee cup of tea and read a book at the till waiting for customers. While this has an air truth to it the real truth is much better.
I come in just before 10am and switch on the things that needs switched on (till, lights, etc.). In the sorting room are there ary boxes of books that have been donated. We love our donators; they come in with the best selection of books. Before the book team get to sorting them we have to check the shelves. We check for gaps and get books to fill them. I spend quite a bit of time taking books from where they don’t belong and putting them in their right place.
When sorting the books that have been donated the best thing is coming across a book that someone has asked us to keep an eye out for. Also the little treasures you find along the way, such as a first edition Seamus Heaney book of poems. Books like that fetch more than the average £1.50 for hardbacks.
It’s a labour of love. The volunteers that work in the bookshop are very dedicated. We each have our own speciality and that’s the section we work hard on. Together we have a collection of books that make us the best bookshop in Magherafelt.
At the end of the day when the till is been counted up and you’re told the total, it’s a great feeling to know that the bit of volunteering you have done has helped raise that amount of money for the Charity.
Last time I blogged I talked about my volunteering at Cookstown & Magherafelt Volunteer Centre. I am still volunteering there and I’m happy with the work I do. I’m quite proud to say that I had a small input to the Volunteers’ Week activities been run by the Volunteer Centre.
In this post I want to talk about the volunteering I do a Friends of Charis Charity Shop Magherafelt. I’m sure many of you have been in the shop. Most of the work I do is up in the Book Nook, at the Rainey Street Car Park entrance.
When people come into a second hand bookshop they have this fantasy that it must be the best job in the world. They think that we place the books on the shelves, help people pick something good to read, have a wee cup of tea and read a book at the till waiting for customers. While this has an air truth to it the real truth is much better.
I come in just before 10am and switch on the things that needs switched on (till, lights, etc.). In the sorting room are there ary boxes of books that have been donated. We love our donators; they come in with the best selection of books. Before the book team get to sorting them we have to check the shelves. We check for gaps and get books to fill them. I spend quite a bit of time taking books from where they don’t belong and putting them in their right place.
When sorting the books that have been donated the best thing is coming across a book that someone has asked us to keep an eye out for. Also the little treasures you find along the way, such as a first edition Seamus Heaney book of poems. Books like that fetch more than the average £1.50 for hardbacks.
It’s a labour of love. The volunteers that work in the bookshop are very dedicated. We each have our own speciality and that’s the section we work hard on. Together we have a collection of books that make us the best bookshop in Magherafelt.
At the end of the day when the till is been counted up and you’re told the total, it’s a great feeling to know that the bit of volunteering you have done has helped raise that amount of money for the Charity.
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