Volunteering for St George’s Crypt

Friday 16 August 2019

Volunteering for Leeds-based charity St George’s Crypt keeps me grounded, gives me the opportunity to connect with people from different backgrounds, and allows me to support the local community.

I’ve always been passionate about helping people and I first started to volunteer when I was in the Sixth Form at Penistone Grammar School.

In 2006 I participated in my first overseas building project with Habitat for Humanity (HfH); the first of six builds that I have done with that charity. HfH is a global not-for-profit housing organisation that aims to overcome the lack of decent housing available in the world’s poorest communities.

However, although this is a very real and worthwhile cause, I began to feel hypocritical for not helping the communities on my own doorstep that were also in need.

When I started my Training Contract with Blacks in 2009 I walked passed St George’s Crypt on my commute to and from work every day. I’m also a member of St George’s Church and had become really curious about the work that the Crypt did directly beneath the pulpit.

I decided to enroll as a volunteer to help out in the Crypt’s kitchen, and I’ve now been serving dinner there on a Thursday evening for over nine years.

The Crypt’s primary purpose is to support the homeless community and vulnerable people in Leeds, which isn’t a community to which I’m exposed as part of my job.

I consider it a real joy on a Thursday evening to be able to walk alongside people with whom my own life experiences differ and to engage in enlightening, interesting, and inspiring conversations and learn about different ways of life.

The Crypt’s work is extensive across Leeds. Not only do they offer food and shelter, they also provide engagement and rehabilitation programmes and have developed partnerships with key local organisations to provide support, advice, and opportunities to some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

The Crypt makes a real and tangible difference to people’s lives and I consider it a real privilege that I’m able to play even the smallest part in the stories of those individuals.

I’ve made some fantastic friends through the initiative and for anyone looking for something different to do that has a real impact, I’d highly recommend volunteering at the Crypt.

To find out more about St George’s Crypt, please go to www.stgeorgescrypt.org.uk.