Tuesday July 16th 2024
Poltonhall Pavillion, Bonnyrigg.
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Lolita Bozhko
Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer with Bonnyrigg Rose Community Football Club, a community club dedicated to providing a clean, modern, safe place where everyone can enjoy playing football in fun learning environment.
Here’s a detailed account of my day, from start to finish, and what I learned along the way.
9:00 AM:Arrival and Setting Up.
The day began early as I arrived at the community pantry in Poltonhall. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Trish Sime, the club’s Development Manager and one of the volunteers, Fiona. I noticed both of them running around chaotically, putting the products up for the pantry as fast as possible. There was already a small queue in front of the doors, so I quickly got to work. I assisted in setting up the tables, handing out and occasionally restocking food.
9:10AM – 10:30 AM: The Community Pantry
A bit later than 9am, the pantry opened. Available products are meant for cupboard or fridge storage, such as oat milk, cheese, canned tomato and vegetable soups, teabags, cucumbers, blueberries and bread rolls. As Fiona told me, an average number of those using the pantry is 24 people. Most of them were older adults and families with two or more children.
11AM – 11:30AM: Mum’s Group
After the pantry, the Community Club organised Mom’s Group, which, as the name suggests, is a support network for struggling mothers designed to help them connect with one another. This group is looked after by other people, so neither of the volunteers had any involvement in the group, as it was separately looked after by other people.
12PM – 2PM: Seniors Lunch
Following the mum’s group, while Trish was in charge of cooking, we started the preparations for the seniors lunch. On this day, we had only seven people, when, usually, the number is more than a double. Some of them come only for food, others visit to chat to each other. Menu for the day was leek soup and lasagne, cooked by Trish, and strawberry tarts. My main role involved assisting with clearing and setting the table, as well as handing out plates.
After the dinner, the seniors had the chance to play some bingo. Aside from a minor technical issue at the beginning, the game proceeded smoothly. Seeing the smiles of bingo winners and enthusiasm of other volunteers was incredibly fulfilling.
After a busy morning, we took a short lunch break. This was an opportunity for me to connect with other volunteers and share our experiences. Interestingly, during one of these conversations I discovered that one of the fellow volunteers knows my host dad, which reminded me just how small the world really is, even in Scotland.
As the day’s events wound down, it was time to clean up and pack away materials. Everyone pitched in to ensure the venue of the club was left as we found it. The sense of accomplishment was palpable as I finished up my first successful day of volunteering.
To sum up, volunteering with Bonnyrigg Rose Community Club was a wonderful experience that allowed me to contribute to my local community in meaningful ways. The day was filled with learning, laughter, and the joy of helping others. I left with a much deeper appreciation for the dedicated work of community organizations, but also with such big shame and disappointment at the state of the world now.
In March 2024, the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) conducted a survey of its food banks , revealing that nearly 75% of respondents experienced increased demand from November 2023 to January 2024 compared to the same period the previous year.
Additionally, 98% of the food banks supported individuals seeking help for the first time. Government statistics of April 2024 also reveal that 7.2 million people in the UK are experiencing food insecurity, marking an increase of 2.5 million since 2022.
Unfortunately, with the current issues such as the ongoing cost of living crisis, food and rent prices continuously going up, inadequate social security support, and the depletion of emergency funds are contributing to the increased reliance on food banks. And, unfortunately, that is not an encouraging sign.
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