Volunteer Centre Strengthens Team

Posted on 10th Dec

We are pleased to have welcomed in recent months to the team Gill Stringer and Helen Currell. The Volunteer Centre now has a team of 7 staff and 5 volunteers running a wide range of projects alongside the core volunteer brokerage service and providing support to placement providing organisations.

Gill Stringer has come to work at the Guild as the Project Co-ordinator for the Big Lottery funded Basis 2 Project. Gill says, “The main objectives of the 3-year project are to help raise standards through the Volunteer England Investors in Volunteering Accreditation for volunteer involving organisations in the city; and to offer core training modules for volunteers from the range of organisations recruiting volunteers in Plymouth.”

Immediately prior to working with the Guild, she worked at Exeter Museum on monitoring the Renaissance funded work with schools, volunteers and pre-school children (a national target for Museums and Libraries at present).

Since Gill moved to Devon from London 5 1/2 years ago, she has worked with Dartington Hall Trust running a support project for small creative businesses and with Beaford Arts in North Devon. Her work in London was in Community Arts working with groups, mainly based in South London, to organise 100’s of different events over a 20-year period. Although she has also worked in Social Housing and Community Development, Gill studied Drama and English at college, although it’s a while since she has trodden the boards! She loves living in Devon taking advantage of the beautiful coastline and country walks, but can equally be found partaking of the nightlife in Plymouth whenever there is some live music going on, preferably Rock!

Helen Currell is the new Green V Volunteering Project Worker. Helen replaces Afiza Oaten on our Green V project which encourages youngsters from 16-25 years old to volunteer in environmental conservation.

Helen has come to us from working in student recruitment and computing at UCP Marjon. She has a degree in Biology, a Masters in Computing and is a qualified secondary school science teacher. She has also recently qualified to teach in the Life Long Learning sector which she intends to do once she has settled into her new role here on a part-time basis.

Helen told us “I love of all things environmental; and am a keen vegetable gardener and support charities such as the Monkey Sanctuary and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.” She added “I am relishing the opportunity of working with like-minded volunteers within the supportive environment that the Guild provides.”