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Hear from Leslie
Hear from one of our volunteers truly inspiring volunteers Leslie, who highlights how their volunteering has helped overcome personal challenge.
If Leslie's story has inspired you, why not meet new people and apply to volunteer in one of our shops now.
Leslie's story
Lesley has been volunteering at the Enfield shop since 2004.
Mainly helping in the sorting room, and recently taking on the responsibility of opening the shop in the manager’s absence, Lesley has overcome a personal disability of a hearing impairment during her time as a volunteer.
Working closely with an audiologist and various hearing specialists to improve her condition, Lesley’s progress has been a great source of encouragement to her fellow volunteers.
“When I started volunteering in the shop, I had very little hearing and could only understand speech through lip reading. Knowing that I couldn’t communicate easily with customers, my shop manager was really accommodating and allowed me to volunteer behind the scenes in the stockroom.
“My fellow volunteers supported my impairment and knew that I needed to be facing them when they were talking to me. To alert me of an emergency, they would flash lights as I wasn’t able to hear the fire alarm. They really made me feel included in all aspects of the shop.”