Enjoying his volunteer cappuccino as he starts his shift, Stuart (who was born in the UK but emigrated 49 years ago,) explained how he came to be 10,589 miles from home. “I’ve got a lot of friends living in the area,” he says, “and I came to a wedding in Ilmington this time last year. I thought it was a lovely place and I’d like to come back, so I put an ad in the parish magazine.” The net result is that Stuart is house-sitting this summer while the owners are away for three months. And the first thing he did was volunteer at Ilmington Community Shop. “Getting involved is the idea. It’s great working here, it’s lovely. Not intimidating at all. Part of the idea is to meet people!” By the time Stuart, a solicitor, gets back to his family and six grandchildren in Australia, he’ll be retired. But he’ll have a whole new set of friends in the Warwickshire Cotswolds. We need more volunteers this summer, and we really don’t mind where you’re commuting from. You’ll get a friendly welcome, lots of support – and of course that free tea or coffee! Call us on 01608 682838 to find out more
