Baldock students inspired to take up volunteering after speed matching session with local charities

Tony Newsome, Bron Martin and Graham Harris from Herts Air Ambulance speak to Juliet Oliver and Alexandra Mitchell (Image: Archant)

Charities were given five minutes to speak to groups of Knights Templar School pupils in a ‘round robin’ styled event geared at encouraging budding volunteers to help out in the community.

After the event, which took place last week, students were given the chance to volunteer for a cause of their choice.

Charities taking part included Baldock Guides, Jackie’s Drop-in Centre and the Garden House Hospice, both in Letchworth, Age UK Shop Hitchin and the Linkage Group in Stevenage.

Volunteer co-ordinator Pam Manfield, who signed up nine people to join her at Stotfold Watermill and Nature Reserve, said: “I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of the young volunteers and the intelligent questions they asked about their potential roles. I hope this will be the beginning of a very positive connection between Knights Templar School and community projects like ours.

“Volunteering not only teaches valuable skills but also is great fun – something I hope our young recruits will appreciate.”

Janice Lacy, GHH’s voluntary services manager, said: “We had six interested students for our retail charity shop in Baldock and three keen to come to the hospice itself.

“It was refreshing to see such interested students – our volunteers are integral to the successful working of Garden House and are historically a big part of the hospice movement.”