Interview with Denise Snow, volunteer with Age UK.

In 'The Luke Martin-Jones Interview' today, I had the pleasure of interviewing Denise Snow (64).  I like to use the section of my blog, to interview my hero's; the people who have made me who I am today.

I am a firm believer in the work charities do, across the World and met Denise while working for Oxfam. Denise was one of my volunteers; a Lady who did much to help the good causes, we championed at Oxfam.

the end of my position at Oxfam was particularly difficult; despite my grievances with this charity, I am still a very strong supporter of the work volunteers do, especially in the UK. If one takes Oxfam out of the equation, one is left a group of dedicated individuals, who's selfless duty, helps generate billions of pounds a year for charities. In the spirit of empowerment, inclusiveness and accountability, I quickly promoted Denise to the position of Voluntary Deputy Shop Manager (VDSM). Unlike Oxfam itself, I always believed in uplifting people, putting them into positions where they would excel. Denise was a hard worker and has great potential ahead of her.

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Denise and I became very close friends over the years. We had long conversations on everything from UFO's to politics. When you work for a charity, you are part of a family; it is the one thing that makes these organisations tick. Oxfam relied heavily on the good will of people like Denise, encouraging a family atmosphere of like minded individuals; at least they did at the beginning. Towards the end, when I left, their outlook, like so many others things at Oxfam changed. They wanted a more corporate image and an end to friendships; people were no longer important; no longer in keeping with their new business image.

Nevertheless we continued to run our bookstore, in the same way we always had; a happy band of volunteers, dedicated in their endeavours, in pursuit of 'Making Poverty History!' Our friendship continued, even when I was no longer at Oxfam. 

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Denise continued to run my shop, during my absence and did a fantastic job. Despite her best efforts, she was not employed by the charity when I resigned. Despite the loyalty of volunteers, Oxfam sadly lack loyalty towards those who work for them, once again preferring to hire more banal, non controversial, routine, uninspiring, individuals, who really have no place working there. 

As a person, I am business minded, but also understand the importance of volunteers, within the organisational structure. The reports I hear now, about the shop I once looked after, are not great. Volunteers leaving in droves, treated with disrespect and income falling across the board. 

Denise was in all but name, family; she came to my house for Christmas in 2014. Looking after those who you value is important; Denise was important, a true character  and dutiful VDSM. In 2015, she also attended my Wedding to Darrell, with her son Matthew; one of the last times I saw this fantastic lady.

Luckily we have managed to contact each other again, difficult considering Denise doesn't have facebook, helped by Darrell when he visited her at her home in Southampton recently.

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Spain doesn't have a tradition of volunteering in the same way the UK does, so for that reason I wanted to interview Denise about the importance of voluntary work. Maybe in time, Spain will adopt a more relaxed attitude, towards those who wish to give some free time, for a cause close to their heart. Employment law in Spain is very draconian, this also includes the unpaid sector. The Spanish authorities, just do not understand the importance of giving ones time for free; something Denise does, without hesitation!

1. Can you tell me you name and age please? Also readers, to my blog, ‘Spanish Views’, a little bit about yourself?

My name is Denise Snow in a few months time I will be 64 years of age, I was adopted but found my birth family when I was 40 making me feel more complete, I am divorced and have 3 grown up children, I worked in the Mental Health field as a trained nurse for nearly for nearly  33 years.

2. What made you decide to volunteer?

I hadn't worked for 5 years due to an ongoing back problem and was referred to a work program by the Benefits Office there I did a volunteer course and started working for a National/International charity as a till operator in a bookshop, my ideal place to work as I love books.

3. How long have you been volunteering for?

I volunteered at Oxfam for just over 4 years then after my back started playing up after a fall( not at work ) I went sick and was off for  5 months and had my volunteering job revoked when I asked to commence volunteering again. Recently  I have started volunteering for Age UK Southampton, a small local charity, funded by the council and donations, as a receptionist.
 
4. Can you describe to the readers of ‘Spanish Views,’ what you did in your voluntary position at Oxfam Books.

I started off as a till operator two afternoons a week, when I increased my hours I diversified into sorting book donations pulling them onto storage shelving, rotating stock in the shop, shelve and window displays, becoming a key holder cashing up the till at night and documenting it. Next I became a voluntary deputy shop manager and treasurer and was responsible for the day to day running of the shop in the Managers
absence ie meetings, holiday, sickness. I did the area accounts once a week for 20 shops and the day to day ordering for the shop as and when it was needed. I also did recruitment interviews of prospective new volunteers and ran the team of volunteers making sure the shifts were covered.

5. I remember you from my time at Oxfam. What aspects did you enjoy most and least whilst working in Oxfam Book Shop?

I enjoyed being part of an amazing group of people from many different walks of life giving up their spare time and using their expertise for the charity it also helped me retrain into the retail sector. I was part of an extraordinary team and we all enjoyed coming in to do a shift,  we excelled at customer service having many coming back at least weekly for chat and a couple of books, it was a privilege to be able to give to the local community, our shop was very popular and it was all for a good cause to boot.
I disliked customers being abusive to the volunteers luckily it only happened occasionally. I also disliked upper management the way they used people, exploited them, in some cases and then discarded them like a broken part.

6. Spain doesn’t have a great history of volunteering, the culture is very different here. Why do you think volunteering is important?

I believe volunteering is a way of giving back to the community you live in and being proactive in an ever changing society, you are part of something that is greater than yourself.
 
7. With your experience volunteering, what job would you like to do eventually?

I would like to have possibly a managerial position,  in a charity large or small so that I can continue to give to the local or national community.
 
8. What makes a good volunteer?

A person that enjoys life but acknowledges the needs of others, have a giving nature but not looking for self-gratification also to be a team player and work well with others.

9. What would be the one piece of advice you would give someone starting volunteering for the first time?

Do your homework research the charity and its ethos and overall goals, a charity that is close to your heart dependant of what is around or maybe just starting out locally to you and how much of a commitment you can offer.

10. What new volunteering opportunities are you looking forward to in the future?

As I said in Q3 I am now volunteering with a small local charity to learn how to be a receptionist it always looks good on a CV so is a good way of getting back into paid employment you can usually get a reference after six months so it can be a win-win all round.

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