Cardinal Hume - Julia's story

If I can help, why wouldn’t I?

Julia has been a charity volunteer for many years, bringing a background in teaching, coaching and training. After stepping away from a long-term role with another charity, she knew she wanted to return to volunteering – but only where she felt she could genuinely contribute.

She says, ‘I tried three or four different charities… they were all doing good work, but I didn’t feel that I was being well used or making enough of an impact.’ That changed when she found the Cardinal Hume Centre. ‘I thought, brilliant, this is where I feel I’m going to be valued, and I can contribute in a meaningful way.’

Julia first supported family services, helping at a homework club and on activity days. She was struck by the care and quality of what she saw. ‘Every time I went it was tidy, clean, the activities were really high value… you could tell how the mums valued it. I thought, this is just so good.’

She later moved into English language teaching, working one-to-one with clients. For Julia, the impact of that work is both immediate and personal. ‘This is why I like volunteering, because you’re with the client, and you can see the effect you’re having.’

Building trust is a key part of that. Julia is thoughtful about how she connects with the people she supports, taking care not to assume or push into potentially difficult experiences. ‘I’m very wary of talking about personal stories because you don’t know what trauma there might be,’ she explains. Instead, she follows their lead, creating space for conversation while keeping boundaries. ‘Anything they volunteer, I will follow up on,’ she says, adding that a sense of connection matters: ‘I need to be seen as a person, not just a teacher. The personal relationship is partly what makes it work.’

Sometimes the impact is about progress over time. Other times, it is something simpler but just as important. She recalls one woman telling her, ‘When I’m with you, I don’t feel any stress.’ Julia reflects, ‘If you think of the challenges many of these families face, that is huge.’

In other moments, small practical support can open up new opportunities. Helping someone use Zoom meant they could join a course for the first time. Showing another how to use a phone calendar meant they would not miss important appointments. ‘It’s so simple,’ she says, ‘But so important.’

What keeps Julia coming back is not just the work itself, but the environment around it. ‘I’ve never met anybody working here who’s just doing it as a job. They really, really care about the clients,’ she says. ‘It’s a very engaging place. It’s lovely to come into.’

For her, volunteering is a two-way experience. ‘You’re helping someone else, but the feeling it gives back is incalculable,’ she says. ‘There are so many people that need some help. And if I can do that, why wouldn’t I?’