Our volunteers are incredible, and it's always a pleasure to share their success stories. In today's blog, Anna has kindly shared her journey with Railway Gardens and beyond. Over to you Anna!
“I had suddenly and unexpectedly found myself out of work from many years of employment in retail in July this year and this kick started strong desire for a career change. I knew I loved gardening as I had been helping friends with theirs and dreamed of doing it professionally. However, I needed something to get me started and I had heard of the great work at Railway Gardens.
I went down to volunteer one day and met Julia the community coordinator; she gave me tasks, introduced me to the lovely volunteers and was so welcoming. After volunteering at th Gardens for a number of sessions, I explained my story to Julia and she put me in touch with a volunteer who had set up her own gardening business as a career change. I met up with her and she was so helpful, with information on how she did it, where to get advice on courses and information and added me to a gardening group she had set up. This led me on a delightful path of discovery and experience, volunteering in many gardens across the city and gave me the confidence to start applying for jobs as a gardener.
Since then I have not looked back and as a result of a glowing, supportive and really kind reference from Julia I have recently secured an apprenticeship as a gardener in Aberglasney Gardens. This is a prestigious and historical 10 acre public garden in Carmarthenshire that has given me the dream opportunity of an excellent start in my career. I could not have made it this far without help from Julia, all the volunteers and other connections I have made through volunteering at Railway Gardens.
Railway Gardens do such wonderful work as a community space, not only helping people to get involved in gardening but providing space for festivals, Welsh classes (which I also attended), mental health workshops, crafts beer making and so much more. They are so supportive and do such great work and I will continue to follow and support their inevitable successes that I hope will last for many years to come. Diolch yn Fawr Gerddi Rheilffordd!”
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We’re really grateful to Anna for her time with us as a volunteer and for sharing her experiences; we wish her every success in her next steps!
Curious about volunteering with us?
Whether you’re interested in boosting your CV, making new friends, learning new skills, or being part of community life, we have a role for you!