S&C is proud to share Portsmouth City Council’s Stories from the City project, which aims to ‘celebrate the people behind Portsmouth’s vibrant voluntary and community sector – one story at a time.’
Alby Clover, volunteer at The Learning Place
‘Initially I came into The Learning Place to learn myself; I wanted to improve my skills on the computer so I could keep up with my children and grandchildren. I was then asked if I would consider volunteering myself. I didn’t hesitate to say yes. After my wife passed away some years before, I wasn’t as social as I had once been and found myself going out less in the community.
‘A lot of people that come into The Learning Place are quite anxious and feel as though they will struggle to learn the basics, however as I am an older man I think that I put them at ease and they think if I can do it, then they can too. It’s all about supporting them to realise that they are more than able to learn the skills.
‘After I lost my wife, I was at a loss as to what to do with my time and volunteering really helped me to have some direction. I love coming in as it allows me to get out and about and keeps me social.’
You can follow Stories from the City on Instagram and get in touch with the team to suggest an individual who could feature by email on voluntary.sector@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call 023 9283 4518.
Photo credit: Matt Scott-Joynt
