Hear from our volunteers
“Hi, My name is Ian, and I volunteer as a chef at the Tuesday Club. The pandemic has impacted the catering and hospitality sector a great deal. Like most restaurants, pubs and bars etc. It has not been possible for me to work since March 2020.
I am responsible for all the cooking and this includes choosing how much to cook and what to cook. We do meat and a vegetarian option for our lunch meals. I also keep the kitchen clean and sanitised for safety during this time. Currently, we are catering for 80-90 guests every Tuesday.
I applied for this role when I saw an ad on Facebook asking for volunteer chefs. I wanted to use my skills in the only way I can. To be honest, it was as much a benefit for me as I was able to go out, meet and talk to people and also give back to the community at the same time. I look forward to Tuesdays as we all get along with each other and at the same time knowing we are helping those less fortunate than us.
I work in the offices and cook for the office staff. When I told my work I was volunteering they decided to promote the idea to all my colleagues to try to do something similar. Because of this a couple of my colleagues are now helping at the local food bank.”
– Ian Waltisbuhl, Tuesday Club Chef
“At St. Michaels Stockwell I lead a wonderful team of volunteers. I am Caroline and as Team Leader I organise the volunteer rota for the Sunday night shelter, as well as ensuring that we are ready to receive guests into a calm, welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. I meet all the guests each week and ensure that volunteers feel confident in chatting to and helping the guests appropriately.
During this unusual season, I co-ordinated fifteen volunteers providing goodies for the guests weekly packages. Due to Covid restrictions packages were created at home for delivery with another volunteer. I took leftover items to the Tuesday Club where they were eagerly welcomed.
I also volunteer for the Check-in and Chat with two previous guests. Over the year there have been tears, much laughter and great weekly chats over the phone. Within the bounds of professional confidentiality, I report back to the office and alert the team of any concerns.”
– Caroline Hirst, Shelter Team Leader
“Hello, I’m Wootton and I’m a Shelter Volunteer and also lead the Bedding Logistics Team. I’ve been volunteering with Robes since I moved to London in February 2015, primarily at St Matthews at the Elephant.
As bedding team lead I’m responsible for ensuring the bedding is collected, laundered and stored at the end of one season, ready for delivery to the shelters at the start of the next. There are five on the team and with the help of Zipvans, we move the 350 bedding sets around the venues.
In shelters, I’ve done most tasks, from setting up and taking down beds. Cooking breakfast and frequently covering the overnight shift. I love being in the shelters and engaging with guests.
With the lockdown, my roles have changed. I now help at the Tuesday Club, have helped two shelters with Support Packages and have been helping guests moving into permanent accommodation.”
– Wootton King, Bedding Team Lead
“Hi, my name is Noelia. I am a Tuesday Club volunteer at the Robes Project. I got introduced to Robes by my flatmate who posted the need of volunteers in social media and I couldn’t resist but reply to her offering myself as one of them. I was very curious to know how Robes works and find out which kind of services are offered to people out there who need it the most.
After my first day as a volunteer I realized how many times we are so busy with work, family, friends….that it looks like we run out of time to think about what’s really happening out there.
With this message I would like to encourage everyone to live this experience at least one time in your life, you will see how easy it is to help many people at once and how satisfied it will make you feel seeing them smile while living in the worst or very limited conditions.
Today I have to thank my flatmate and Robes for giving me the opportunity of being part of this project and I can’t be happier to see how the whole team together are making this happen.”
– Noelia Sanchez, Tuesday Club Volunteer
We are looking for a cooking volunteer at the Tuesday Club. Please email project.officer@robes.org.uk if you are interested.