HARP receive recognition for commitment to volunteers

HARP recently received recognition for their voluntary action at the Essex Who Will Care? Awards 2017.

HARP have around 60 volunteers who support their work, from helping at the charity shops, right through to supporting local homeless people to move away from life on the streets. Many of their volunteers go on to work for the charity due to the level of support, training and work experience they gain within their role.

Robbie Norton, 31, from Leigh-on-Sea, has been volunteering at HARP for about a year as he had a homeless man living on a street near him for some time and he wanted to do something to help. By volunteering at HARP’s charity shop in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, Robbie, and many others that help at the shop, support HARP to raise vital funds to further their work with local homeless people.

Robbie enjoys volunteering and nominated HARP for a Voluntary Team Award. He said “I enjoy helping out at the charity shop every Friday morning and I thought HARP deserved an award for all their hard work, so I nominated them!”

The award takes pride of place in the shop to remind the team that as well as making a difference to those that are homeless, they are also making a difference to those that volunteer too.

Joanne Dear, Volunteer Coordinator at HARP, said: “HARP was built on a foundation of voluntary action and our volunteers make such a difference to the work we do. We pride ourselves on creating a supportive and inclusive environment and it is wonderful to hear from volunteers like Robbie who enjoy volunteering with us. We were thrilled to receive recognition at the Who Will Care? Awards and would like to thank Robbie and all those that give their time to help. Together, we can end rough sleeping for good!”