district life 38 final.qxp - Canterbury City Council

Volunteering brings
benefits for Kirsty
By Steve James
Lend a hand
and learn new skills
A new push to encourage more people to
get involved in volunteering has been
launched.
Canterbury City Council and other Kent
local authorities and organisations are
working together as part of the Kent
Agreement, which commits them to helping
people participate in local life.
There are many positive advantages if
people become involved in their community
through volunteering or engaging in civic
life. For example, it gives them a positive say
in shaping their locality and reducing social
exclusion. These benefits help both the
individual and the community in which they
live.
Kirsty King lives in Canterbury and is just
one of many local people who’s discovered
that volunteering makes a difference.
Married to husband David, Kirsty is
mother to their three-and-a-half-year-old
boy, Harrison. Based at Riverside Children’s
Centre in Canterbury, she is also the district’s
breastfeeding volunteer co-ordinator.
As you would expect, motherhood has
brought enormous joy for Kirsty (34), but she
never anticipated that being a parent would
introduce her to the world of volunteering.
Prior to Harrison’s arrival, Kirsty worked in
London, in the world of fashion
management.
“I started volunteering in August 2007
through Riverside’s parental engagement
programme and I became a paid and funded
breastfeeding volunteer co-ordinator in July
2009, ” said Kirsty. “But it was the initial
voluntary work that got everything going.
However, when it was first suggested that I
could volunteer, I thought, ‘I can’t imagine
doing that!’”
Kirsty explained that there are many
mothers in Canterbury district who seek
advice and support through breastfeeding
groups.
She said: “Some women need information
and reassurance on matters such as weaning
and breastfeeding in public. They may also
have worries about the best position for
breastfeeding or physical comfort and
associated medical conditions. On other
occasions they just need the support that
being a member of a group brings. ”
Kirsty said that in 2009 there were 854
contacts with breastfeeding mothers in
Canterbury district. And in her role, she coordinates
38 breastfeeding volunteers.
“I volunteer a minimum of four hours a
week as a peer supporter and work more
than seven hours a week as a breastfeeding
co-ordinator,” said Kirsty, whose position is
funded by the Eastern and Coastal Kent
NHS Primary Care Trust. “However,” she
added, “I often dedicate more time than
that.”
Kirsty is in no doubt that her enthusiasm
for her current role emanates from
the early days following the
birth of Harrison.
She said: “I remember
that I didn’t feel like
stepping out of the door,
let alone volunteering!
But the subsequent
support that I received
made me think that I
wanted to help out.”
Kirsty is full of encouragement for anyone
else who may be interested in voluntary
work.
She said: “Volunteering gives you loads of
self-confidence and boosts your self-esteem.
Joining the breastfeeding group as a
volunteer and then becoming a co-ordinator
means that I’ve made many new friends.
“I’d say that anyone should give it a try.
You never know where it may lead. It makes
a difference to your life and other people’s
lives.”
If you want to find out more about
volunteering, visit the Canterbury
District Community Portal at
www.e-canterbury.co.uk.
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