Hannah Wilson has been appointed the new Volunteer Coordinator at Forth Valley Sensory Centre. The move is bittersweet for the Centre which supports people with sight or hearing impairments across Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire as current Volunteer Coordinator, Caroline Storey, is retiring.
Hannah (26) has been a volunteer at the Centre for some time supporting various groups and classes. Caroline has been with Forth Valley Sensory Centre (FVSC) for five years and has overseen a lot of changes in that time, making FVSC one of the best places to volunteer in the area. Caroline stayed on until the end of September to provide a good handover to Hannah.
Like Caroline, Hannah has excellent BSL skills, learned through her love of languages, she also speaks Japanese, French, Mandarin and German! As well as being a volunteer since 2016, Hannah also has a sight impairment herself, having been born blind in one eye.
Commenting on her appointment, Hannah said:
“I’m really looking forward to taking on the role. Having been a volunteer myself, I know lots of the Centre Users already and of course, lots of the volunteers.
“I was encouraged to apply for the role by Linsey at the Centre and I am glad I took the plunge and having Caroline here to help me out for the first month is amazing. The big challenge is going to re-engaging with a lot of volunteers who have not been active because of lockdown. I know Caroline has done a great job keeping in contact with everyone, I know as I was one of the volunteers who joined various calls and meetings, but people’s schedules and responsibilities might have changed so as groups and classes open back up, there is a lot of work to do.”
As well as volunteering with FVSC, Hannah has also worked with National Deaf Children’s Society, supporting residential courses for deaf children and has also spent a lot of time studying for various qualifications with Forth Valley College. In the past few years, Hannah has gained qualifications in; Social Care, Counselling, English, Psychology, Chemistry and Mental Health First Aid.
Hannah said:
“Along with my sight condition, I also have chronic fatigue syndrome so some days, just getting up and moving is a real effort. Because of this condition I left school early with no qualifications.
“I started volunteering to gain work experience and challenge myself to overcome some of the difficulties my health causes me. I’ve studied hard to get the exams I missed out on and I am delighted to be joining the official world of work! I hope that my story can help other people realise that no matter what, you can find a way to achieve your goals.”
Hannah replaces Caroline Storey who is retiring after five years at the Centre and a long career focused on helping other people through equality, training and care.
Jacquie Winning, CEO, Forth Valley Sensory Centre said:
“Welcoming Hannah is lovely and we are sure she will be a fantastic asset to our team. However, we are waving goodbye to Caroline who has revolutionised our volunteer strategy. I’d like to wish both ladies all the best in their new endeavours from everyone at the Centre!”
We currently have opportunities to support our fortnightly Art group (no need to have an interest in Art, it is more about conversation) as well as helping us publicise our award winning climate work at ‘SHOP26’ in Falkirk as well as other local events. Contact hannahwilson@forthvalleysensorycentre.org for more information!
We had a lovely handover for Caroline on her last day as she was surprised by pupils from Windsor Park School who have worked closely with her on a number of projects over the last few years. Centre staff also said goodbye as everyone tucked into amazing cheesecake made by our Communications Assistant, Rowan!
0 comments on “New Volunteer Coordinator” Add yours →