Maria from the Sunflower charity shop in Rye wrote to tell me about a remarkable volunteer there.
The branch in Cinque Ports Street recently celebrated a milestone birthday for one of its volunteers. Valerie turned ninety years old on August 28 and to mark this the Sunflower team organised a surprise visit for cat-loving Val to Kiko's Cat Café.
Val has been volunteering at the shop since 2016 after being encouraged to do so by her late husband. "I had had one of my nervy turns and I was a bit down,” she explained. “My husband said to go in the charity shop and see if I could help in there. I had a cup of tea and a chat and I've never looked back! It doesn't seem that long ago I started volunteering, I couldn't believe it! I don’t understand why more people are not doing it."
Maria said: “Valerie volunteers every Wednesday and Thursday morning; her support is hugely valued and you can always rely on her for a good chat, too! If you would be interested in volunteering at the Sunflower charity shop please pop in for a chat with either Clair or Maria. They would be very happy to welcome you and to discuss the opportunities that volunteering offers.”
