Volunteering at Dunchurch Community Hub
One of our wonderful volunteers has written an article detailing his life as a volunteer and how you can get involved.
Published: 9 September 2024
I volunteer at Dunchurch library because I think that it is important to have this amenity here, on the doorstep. I am particularly keen on encouraging children to read. We know from research done by The Reading Agency that a reading habit is key to unlocking the curriculum, to encourage independent learning and to provide a lifelong skill that can bring us a great deal of pleasure.
We need to widen our pool of volunteers to ensure that Dunchurch keeps its library open. Anyone can be a volunteer, no special skills are required, and the necessary functional abilities can be learned ‘on the job’ by assisting our current volunteers. We are a very friendly group from many backgrounds and origins and we’d happily help you become a volunteer too.
There are many advantages to being a volunteer. It gets us out of the house and collaborating with others. We can learn about other people who volunteer giving us the opportunity for interesting conversations. We can meet customers, young and older, and gain satisfaction by being able to help them. We can meet with the super young people who use their volunteering at the library to help them gain their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and who are always a delight to talk to and learn about. Mixing with people helps to keep us mentally active and well. Volunteering at Dunchurch library helps to keep the library open for the people of Dunchurch and its environs.
We are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 5pm, and on Saturday mornings from 10am until noon. Shifts are split: 10am to 1.30pm and 1.30pm to 5pm. Most volunteers do one shift per week. Saturday morning counts as one shift.
I have been volunteering at the library, since the then Parish Council, took it on from Warwickshire County Council who were going to close it save money. My motivation for doing so was and still is the same and I’m proud that with the help of the current and past volunteers we still have a Warwickshire library in Dunchurch. Come and join us to help us keep this amenity alive
Clive Cotton (Volunteer at Dunchurch Community Library)