Thanks to the extensive coverage provided by the SSVCA (South Somerset Association for Voluntary & Community Action) for volunteers week, The WATCH Project found it’s name in lights again when we were contacted by The Independent!
Looking for volunteers to feature in an article of her own, editor Katie Grant interviewed Matthew via phone and then placed him on page 23 of the ‘i’ (sister trade of the Independent) and the Independent website here.
The piece was called ‘Volunteers’ Week 2015: Celebrating the men and women who keep essential charities running’ and you can read Matthew’s input below:
“I have bipolar disorder and I became quite isolated and withdrawn. My doctor pointed me toward WATCH, a community project that runs one day a week at the local youth club. It’s a hub for the isolated, mentally ill and the elderly, giving people have somewhere to go once a week. We have activities such as art, and third parties come in to do talks. I was very shy but being around other people who understood and had experienced the same things I had helped. I decided to leave as a service user and return to the project as a volunteer. It’s very rewarding. Because they have helped me so much I feel a personal obligation to give something back. I enjoy mentoring and I help members with IT issues. I do a lot of admin, designed our logo and also manage the website.”
(It’s worth noting that Matthew’s participation this time was less about being in the right place and more about running across the room and wrestling the phone from Julie!)
As before, we’d like to thank everyone at the SSVCA for taking the time to talk about the project, and The Independent for singling us out too. We’re extremely flattered and it’s difficult to express that well in plain words on a screen!
