Invergordon New Start steps up recruitment drive with volunteer appeal
THE Easter Ross outlet of a social enterprise has launched a recruitment campaign as it steps up efforts to help people facing homelessness and crisis.
New Start Highland is on the lookout for volunteers to help in its Invergordon re-use and retail outlet. New Start Highland helps people facing homelessness and crisis by providing housing support, starter packs of furniture and household goods, and employment training programmes.
Donations of furniture and household items are often "upcycled" and redistributed to people who need them locally.
The retail side of the outlet sells surplus goods with profits earned funding the social aims of the organisation.
"Volunteers are so important to what we are doing in Invergordon", said new shop manager Marion Rhind. "It’s a great outlet and team of volunteers and trainees that we have at the moment, and we’d love to have more onside. It is a busy place to work but we have good fun and it’s great knowing that all this effort is going into our local communities and really making a difference."
Volunteers are offered training and development opportunities and have the chance to learn new skills. Particularly welcome are school leavers or people looking to gain work experience.
Said Marion: "We are really embracing the upcycling trend here in the shop and would love some volunteers who have a good eye for furniture restoration who can help inspire our customers and show them the amazing potential our stock holds.
"We need people with organisational skills who can help us with our constantly changing shop layout and anyone with a bit of knowledge or bric-a-brac who can help us to value items. The Invergordon shop sells re-used items but is also where local people can purchase white goods and even have them delivered for a reasonable price. It’s a great asset for our area."
Volunteers are needed on the retail side to organise the shop and help customers. It’s also looking for a handyman or a lay gardener to maintain the shop and hopes to be able to put together "starter packs" for those in need in due course.
The New Start branch in Invergordon is located on Cromlet Drive.
Since inception in 2000, it says it has helped "over 20,000 people before, during and coming from periods of hardship".
Through housing support, training programmes and their furniture reuse service they offer opportunities for people to experience personal transformation.
The social enterprise has five retail outlets located in Inverness, Invergordon and Fort William, a refurbished bike outlet in Inverness as well as landscaping, painting and decorating and removals services operating in the wider area.
More information can be obtained by emailing LindsayCampbell@newstarthighland.org or calling 01463 728786.
