featured volunteer - valerie
Valerie is a local playwright, director, producer and retired drama teacher. Since signing up with The Bank less than six months ago, she has become a leading lady amongst our volunteers and has been a regular on nearly all our secondary school workshops and at The Vault – the after-school journalism club at the LSi.
So, who is she?
Valerie’s calling as a drama teacher began at the age of 16 when she was put in charge of the dance drama competition at her school. She went on to study film and drama at Reading, staged Shakespeare at Exeter and even got to tread the boards of The Globe theatre for a week! “I just love it”, she beamed. “Producing and directing is a supreme act of imagination. It’s like Find It, Fix It, Flog It – you take something in pieces, recreate it, upcycle it and it is re-invented!”
In her spare time – she doesn’t have much – Valerie runs The Bridport Stage Company, which she founded originally as The Bridport Shakespeare Company. She is currently directing, producing, and starring in The Importance of Being Earnest, to be performed at The Bull in Bridport this April. She also volunteers at the Bridport Community Shed, where people share their experience and skills to make and mend. She describes The Shed as the Find it, Fix It, Flog It of Bridport – I’m beginning to see a pattern here! This is in fact where she first heard about The Bank, from Raja – another of The Bank’s dedicated volunteers She was immediately attracted to the prospect of going back into schools to work with children and young adults. “I just love the idea of developing their self-expression and facilitating their journey to self-confidence.”
Has volunteering lived up to your expectations?
“It’s been absolutely fabulous - a completely stress-free jolly”, she enthused. “It’s lovely not to be telling someone what to do for a change. It’s just glorious; some children arrive saying they can’t write and by the end they are amazed at what they’ve achieved. It is so rewarding to see them puff up with pride. And that’s before they receive their own published book or newspaper (What’s Going On? at The Vault), all of which are properly, professionally illustrated. After a bespoke series of workshops called RESONATE, young people even put on a performance at Bridport Arts Centre to showcase their work. They were incredibly brave and it was beyond moving; there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
So that’s how volunteering benefits the children, but what does the experience of volunteering do for you?
“It reminds me of the difference between being a parent and a grandparent; you have all the lovely interaction without any of the downsides. I feel like Simon and Henry from Find it, Fix it, Flog It (I’m beginning to think Valerie has shares in the programme), at the end, after the creative process, they are validated and bathing in a glow of success. Volunteering makes me feel needed and valued and gives me that warm glow, especially in the long, dark, winter months. So, it’s a win-win for the “yoof” AND the volunteers – what’s not to like?”
How does the process of signing up work then?
“The Bank uses an app called Volunteero, where you can see all the “missions” (workshops) and you just sign up for what you would like to do. It’s very easy, even for those of luddite tendencies or techno -dweebs, as I like to call them!”
And what about the logistics of getting to the workshops?
“The Bank offer lifts to the schools, which apart from being good for the environment is a right “larff”. The other volunteers are just F.A.B. On one series of workshops, we had a running joke that I was Lady Penelope being chauffeur-driven by Parker! (Thunderbirds). Of course, I refused to trade my hand-made hat from The Shed for a headscarf…”
And if you could sum it all up in 3 words, what would they be?
“Fun, inspirational and VALUABLE.”
Thank you, Lady P. (aka Valerie).
