Member Article

Volunteering Instils Confidence

Goldcrest House and Dove House Hospice shop in Goole are working together to help adults with autism get one step closer to an independent lifestyle.

Extending a mentoring hand, the Hospice are helping volunteer Joe Barnard to explore new opportunities and retail skills as part of independent living skill tutoring from Goldcrest House.

Tasks such as sorting and tagging clothing, to preparing the shop floor for customers and handling sales at the till, Joe is involved in every aspect of what I involved in running a very busy charity shop.

Mara Beikmame, manager at Dove House Hospice shop in Goole says: “When Jo joined us he was very anxious about making mistakes and dealing with customers, now that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s quickly picked up every job asked of him and he’s learning from his mistakes, you can see his confidence building daily. He’s enjoying talking to our customers and building relationships, he’s become part of our valued team and we’re very happy to be supporting him.”

Joe Barnard says: “I really enjoy working at Dove House and get on very well with all the staff. I have learnt new skills whilst I didn’t think I would, which has given me the confidence to speak to unfamiliar faces. When I have been feeling worried about going the staff at Goldcrest House have helped me a lot in attending my work placement - I am a lot happier since being supported at Goldcrest Housse.”

Based on Boothferry Road Goldcrest House is a centre of excellence dedicated to addressing the individual needs of adults over 18 affected by Autistic Spectrum Disorder and learning difficulties. It provides residential care, supported living, long and short term respite care, day services and outreach to meet the varied needs of those who access the service 52 weeks a year; its aim is to be the UK’s quality service of choice.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Goldcrest House .