Student volunteer dishes out positivity

Izzy Evans, a Psychology with cognitive neuroscience student at Leicester, has spent the past two years volunteering with local charity The Bridge to offer a helping hand in the kitchen- an experience that she says has been ‘invaluable’ to her.

The Bridge – Homelessness to Hope is a charity that has been helping homeless people to turn their lives around since 2009. The charity provides food to the homeless and promotes mental health and well-being by organising various activities such as art and craft groups, health promotion events including health awareness days, exercise groups, women only groups and more. The charity also helps the homeless to engage and liaise with appropriate public services regarding housing/social issues to promote recovery and independence.

Izzy works at The Bridge as a food kitchen volunteer providing hot meals and drinks. She said: “I decided to volunteer for two reasons. Firstly, I really dislike seeing people living rough on the streets and wanted to find a way to help them. Secondly, I wanted to engage with the wider community in Leicester, meet people and gain experiences outside of my University life.”

Izzy’s weekly volunteering sessions involve serving hot meals and drinks, ensuring that everyone is happy and comfortable. Part of the Bridge’s range of support services is their food provisions- serving over 6000 hot meals per year to those in need.

“The experience has been invaluable to me for a number of reasons. It has made me feel a part of the wider Leicester community, plus I know that I am helping those less fortunate in the area, which is really important to me”, Izzy added.

“Find an area of volunteering that you’re passionate about and it won’t feel like volunteering at all. I ended up running a 10k race to raise money for The Bridge because being involved with them made me want to do all that I could to help.

“I would definitely recommend volunteering to anyone who is considering it. Not only is it beneficial experience for the future but it has also made my University experience so much more well-rounded, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.”

  • The University’s Career Development Service has supported the recruitment of student volunteers for The Bridge- Homelessness to Hope.  Any students interested in volunteering with The Bridge or finding out about other volunteering opportunities should email volunteer@le.ac.uk Participation in volunteering activities can be used to complete the Leicester Award.