This week in our Spotlight on Volunteers Campaign, we take a look at the work that volunteers do at the Ely Baby Bank.
What kind of work do you do?
Ely Baby Bank is a space for recycling baby items.
We are open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at our base in Fordham where visitors can walk around our large green space and take anything they need at no charge.
We also provide milk, nappies and baby food.
We offer support to local families who visit, and we have a café on Thursdays with free coffee and cake to provide a space for mums to relax and off load.
What do volunteers do?
Volunteers spend the mornings sorting donations and taking them to the ten sheds and one lorry that we have on site.
Other roles include emptying our milk and nappy collections from Ely and Newmarket Tesco stores, delivering items to those families who can’t travel, helping our visitors, manning the café, admin and handywork.
How many volunteers do you have, and how often do they work?
We have around 30 at any one time of all ages.
We make volunteering with us very easy by removing all the usual barriers and we don’t expect or need any commitment from our volunteers.
There is a simple form to fill in and then you can join in and do as much or as little as you like.
We are just grateful for your support, even if it is just one session as there is always so much to do.
Volunteering can make you feel useful and help with your confidence and in our space you will never be judged.
Mums that have used baby bank often want to give back and we welcome babies if they need to come along too.
What does volunteering mean to you?
I enjoy the freedom of volunteering and I love working with other volunteers in a team.
The volunteer group is a community in itself and there are many friendships made around the sorting table.
As a coordinator I love finding people skills and watching them do what they enjoy.
Many of our volunteers are retired and have a lifetime of experience and valuable skills to share - we have social workers, teachers, nurses, foster carers, retail workers and more who can all contribute to this community project.
The ethos is that it is a shared space and we are all working together and gaining from the time we spend at baby bank.
Where would you be without your volunteers?
This project couldn’t run without volunteers, they are the core of the project with their enthusiasm and support.
We have 100 families visit us every week so the workload is big and yet together we cover it all and have a great time while we do.
Are you on the lookout for volunteers?
New volunteers are always very welcome.
If you would like to help please go to our Facebook page or website and message us or just come along and meet us when we are open.
No special skills are needed, you will find your place and do whatever you feel comfortable doing for the project.
A word from Ely Baby Bank
Donations can be dropped at 78 Mildenhall Road, Fordham CB75NR anytime Monday - Saturday.
For more information, please visit the Facebook page or the website: www.elybabybank.com
Any volunteering organisations that would like to feature in the Spotlight on Volunteers campaign can get in touch at: francesca.herring@newsquest.co.uk
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