S is a young person who originally came to Ponthafren to complete their reparation order but found that in giving back to the community, they also got a lot out for themselves.
“I wasn’t interested at first,” S recalled, “I was just doing as I was told as part of the order.” S told us how they had walked past Ponthafren several times before but knew very little about it; seeing the gardens from the bridge, S just thought it was a community gardens project. The first time S came into Ponthafren they had no expectations of what would be inside or what kind of environment there would be but they said they found it was a “nice environment” where people were friendly and welcoming compared to the people S met outside of the centre.
“I’d volunteered before but didn’t really like it because it didn’t feel like what I did was appreciated.” S went on to explain that volunteering at Ponthafren felt different and that everyone in the garden was really appreciative of what S did for the Association as a whole. S felt that not only was their work appreciated but also that it wasn’t just busy work to keep them out of mischief; it was important work that would have been done anyway and that S was truly helping the organisation.
As well as helping Ponthafren in a meaningful way, S also benefitted from volunteering at Ponthafren. S felt that volunteering was good for their CV and that it helped give them a structure to their day and also helped develop more work ethic. S also felt that it was a great chance to develop their communication skills and give them a chance to socialise with people they would never normally have spent any time with: “It helped make me more open minded to mental health and the people I met in the garden… It was a chance to talk to people I would not have met and it was nice to be heard by people.”
S wanted to take the chance to thank Jan Rogers, one of the volunteers in the garden at Ponthafren: “Jan listens to me and doesn’t judge me and gives me respect but she also says it how it is so I know where I stand.”
Volunteering at Ponthafren was something that S would probably never have done but has found that they have gotten a lot out the experience. The chance to socialise and talk to people who would listen was surprise for S and was an appreciated one.
“I wasn’t interested at first,” S recalled, “I was just doing as I was told as part of the order.” S told us how they had walked past Ponthafren several times before but knew very little about it; seeing the gardens from the bridge, S just thought it was a community gardens project. The first time S came into Ponthafren they had no expectations of what would be inside or what kind of environment there would be but they said they found it was a “nice environment” where people were friendly and welcoming compared to the people S met outside of the centre.
“I’d volunteered before but didn’t really like it because it didn’t feel like what I did was appreciated.” S went on to explain that volunteering at Ponthafren felt different and that everyone in the garden was really appreciative of what S did for the Association as a whole. S felt that not only was their work appreciated but also that it wasn’t just busy work to keep them out of mischief; it was important work that would have been done anyway and that S was truly helping the organisation.
As well as helping Ponthafren in a meaningful way, S also benefitted from volunteering at Ponthafren. S felt that volunteering was good for their CV and that it helped give them a structure to their day and also helped develop more work ethic. S also felt that it was a great chance to develop their communication skills and give them a chance to socialise with people they would never normally have spent any time with: “It helped make me more open minded to mental health and the people I met in the garden… It was a chance to talk to people I would not have met and it was nice to be heard by people.”
S wanted to take the chance to thank Jan Rogers, one of the volunteers in the garden at Ponthafren: “Jan listens to me and doesn’t judge me and gives me respect but she also says it how it is so I know where I stand.”
Volunteering at Ponthafren was something that S would probably never have done but has found that they have gotten a lot out the experience. The chance to socialise and talk to people who would listen was surprise for S and was an appreciated one.