Hi I’m Freddie, I’m 19 and I live in Stonehouse.

After I’d finished school, I was looking for jobs but I couldn’t get anything because I didn’t have any experience. I’d heard good things about The Door Shop from my friends who volunteered there already so I decided to apply to join their team.

I had to fill in a form and do a little interview which was so much more relaxed than I thought it would be. When the manager told me I could join the team I was really surprised and excited to get started. I’d been told ‘no’ by so many people I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be a success.

Volunteering in the shop was awesome – the people were very friendly and they made me feel so welcome. It’s such a fun and chilled environment to be in and I learned a great deal in a relatively short time.

A few months in and I already felt so much more confident. Volunteering helped me improve my customer service and social skills and that’s benefited me greatly. 

I started applying for jobs again and because I could put my volunteering on the applications I got more interviews.  It wasn’t long before I got a job at a shop in Stroud which I’m really enjoying.

If it wasn’t for The Door I would probably still be looking. I’m so grateful to the team for helping me get prepared for work and for helping me get more confident. 

Find out more about volunteering in The Door Shop and other volunteer roles at thedoor.org.uk/volunteer