‘They are like family to us’: Charity lead praises invaluable impact volunteers have on the entire sector

Esther Scarsbrook and her husband Steve joined Spencer Contact more than six years ago, and they have helped to build a strong team of more than 35 volunteers.

The charity, located in Gladstone Close, takes donated furniture and household items, fixes and cleans them up, and passes it all on to those in need.

These items are free to a loving home and the charity is currently celebrating 25 years of helping the community make their spaces more homely. Anyone can benefit from the generosity of Spencer Contact.

To help fund this important work, the charity opens its doors to the public for two separate weeks each year. Half the warehouse is cleared to sell furniture as cheaply as they can, to help those in the surrounding areas and raise funds to keep the charity afloat.

The first public sale of 2024 took place last week (June 24 to 29) and all money raised goes straight back into the charity – from paying staff wages and keeping the vans running, to covering their building’s overheads.

Despite many regular volunteers and customers being away on holiday last week, Esther described the “brilliant and busy” sale, which raised more than £15,000.

The team is “chuffed to bits” with the figure, which will be totalled up with the fundraising completed by Steve’s 1,000-mile cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

The charity has between 15 and 20 volunteers who assist each week. Some come in for entire days, while others utilise their spare couple of hours to make a difference.

There is another team of around 20 people who assist specifically during the two annual public sales. Esther says the more hands on deck during these manic weeks, the better.

“We are a small team of seven and having volunteers means so many more items are prepared, cleaned and ready for distribution or the sales,” said Esther.

“It’s not just individuals but corporate volunteers like the BNI Lighthouse, Nationwide Building Society and JAM Helping Out.”

Esther also spoke of the benefits for the volunteers. Young people can gain experience, add to their CV and receive references, and the charity has seen some young adults through until employment.

For older individuals, volunteering helps them build friendships and gives them fulfilment in a completely different role to their employment.

“There’s a sense of family at Spencer Contact, and that’s why we have really good volunteers,” said Esther. “We look after them and they are like family. There are volunteers who have been with us since 1999 and they mean a great deal.”

Without volunteers, Spencer Contact would be limited to offering furniture and none of the ancillary household items.

Esther said: “We wouldn’t have enough time to clean, sort, check, fold or package. It’s our volunteers who go that extra mile. Without them, we wouldn’t have the time to do it to the quality we do.”

Some volunteers even help from the comfort of their own home by sorting through games and jigsaws to make sure they are complete and can be sold on.

Spencer Contact is always on the lookout for willing volunteers and anyone interested can contact them on 01604 587589 or [email protected].