Retail tales

She started out as a volunteer and was determined to learn everything she could.

Through hard work and passion for our cause, she became Assistant Shop Manager before successfully applying to become Shop Manager. Most recently she led her team to great success in our 2016 Volunteer of the Year Awards, winning Retail Team of the Year.

Not bad for someone who’s first job was untangling jewellery. The person in question is Kirsty Waite who runs our Port Talbot Shop in South Wales. Kirsty’s a fine example of how volunteering can open doors – if you want it to. Says Kirsty, ‘I had my induction/taster session in February 2013 and loved it from day one – even though my first job was to untangle all of the jewellery that was mixed up in a massive box.

‘I started with one shift a week in the stock room but within a couple of months, with some gentle encouragement from other volunteers and employees, I gained enough confidence to get out on the shop floor.

‘The more I developed my skills, and with some recognition and praise for what I was doing, then the more my confidence grew, the more hours I wanted to work and the more I wanted to learn; I felt valued.

Having started out with PDSA as a volunteer myself I really enjoy engaging, motivating and developing our volunteers through leading by example and being as enthusiastic as I can be about everything we do.

‘What really drives me in my role is knowing that I am making a difference. Every pound that my shop takes is an extra step towards us making a surplus and contributing to PDSA’s mission to improve the life of every pet through prevention, education and treatment.’

And there are more who’ve taken the same path from volunteering to employment, such as Marc Lyons at Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kerry McCleary at Glasgow as did Saffron Guppy (Boscombe), Colin Green (Colchester) and Rachel Gould (Staple Hill) to name but a few.

Our Head of Retail & Buying Darren Irwin said, ‘With our support and internal training in our shops, all of our volunteers can develop and learn both life skills and commercial skills no matter what their age or previous experience. It really is possible to develop a rewarding career in Retail.’

So the opportunities are there – you just have to grab them! pdsa.org.uk/get-involved

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She started out as a volunteer and was determined to learn everything she could.

Through hard work and passion for our cause, she became Assistant Shop Manager before successfully applying to become Shop Manager. Most recently she led her team to great success in our 2016 Volunteer of the Year Awards, winning Retail Team of the Year.

Not bad for someone who’s first job was untangling jewellery. The person in question is Kirsty Waite who runs our Port Talbot Shop in South Wales. Kirsty’s a fine example of how volunteering can open doors – if you want it to. Says Kirsty, ‘I had my induction/taster session in February 2013 and loved it from day one – even though my first job was to untangle all of the jewellery that was mixed up in a massive box.

‘I started with one shift a week in the stock room but within a couple of months, with some gentle encouragement from other volunteers and employees, I gained enough confidence to get out on the shop floor.

‘The more I developed my skills, and with some recognition and praise for what I was doing, then the more my confidence grew, the more hours I wanted to work and the more I wanted to learn; I felt valued.

Having started out with PDSA as a volunteer myself I really enjoy engaging, motivating and developing our volunteers through leading by example and being as enthusiastic as I can be about everything we do.

‘What really drives me in my role is knowing that I am making a difference. Every pound that my shop takes is an extra step towards us making a surplus and contributing to PDSA’s mission to improve the life of every pet through prevention, education and treatment.’

And there are more who’ve taken the same path from volunteering to employment, such as Marc Lyons at Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kerry McCleary at Glasgow as did Saffron Guppy (Boscombe), Colin Green (Colchester) and Rachel Gould (Staple Hill) to name but a few.

Our Head of Retail & Buying Darren Irwin said, ‘With our support and internal training in our shops, all of our volunteers can develop and learn both life skills and commercial skills no matter what their age or previous experience. It really is possible to develop a rewarding career in Retail.’

So the opportunities are there – you just have to grab them! pdsa.org.uk/get-involved