Inspired by Volunteers’ Week, we’re sharing how one University staff member has made an impact in two very different ways, with her experiences showing just how much a few hours can achieve.
The University of Reading is committed to engaging with our local community and supporting volunteering by offering staff two days of paid leave to volunteer for a charity, organisation or community project of their choice. Joy Collier, Head of Academic Development and Enhancement at the University, shared her volunteering story with CONNECTED.
For Joy, the University’s volunteering leave policy has made a real difference. She said: “Volunteering has always been important to me as I like to give back to the community when possible. As well as supporting amazing charities I also find it really rewarding to make connections and meet people from many different walks of life.
“I’ve volunteered for Thames Hospice for a couple of years now as a retail assistant in their Woodley store, receiving and sorting donations, arranging and displaying clothes and helping customers. This is something I’ve always done in my own time.
“Volunteering leave has made volunteering much more accessible and attainable. I think the University’s policy encouraged me to think about volunteering differently – to consider it in the mix of all the other priorities I have at work and make sure it doesn’t always fall to the bottom of the list.
“It’s also made me realise that a couple of hours of time can go a really long way.”
Sharing Christmas joy
Joy, along with a number of her colleagues, hosted a Christmas wrapping station on behalf of Rainbow Trust, the University’s 2024/25 Charity of the Year. The volunteers helped Basingstoke shoppers wrap up their Christmas presents and raise money for an excellent cause at the same time.
Joy said: “Christmas seemed like the perfect time to give something back as a team. Everyone was passionate about the cause and the chance to do something completely different together for a few hours, and learn some new skills, was great.
“We interacted with plenty of shoppers throughout the day, many of whom wanted to know more about Rainbow Trust and were very happy to donate. We were really touched by people’s generosity.
“We all came away with a spring in our step, feeling like we’d done something really worthwhile.”
A privilege
In addition to her work with Rainbow Trust, Joy also used her volunteering hours to run mock interviews with Year 11 students at Reading Girls’ School where she provided advice on interview techniques. The experience was transformative for both Joy and the students.
Joy said: “The school contacts local employers each year to request help with their mock interviews so I was very happy to put myself forward.
“It was a privilege to be able to help the students identify their strengths as well as areas for development. We looked at how to approach an interview with confidence and conviction.
“I think I learned as much from them as they did from me.”
A representative from the school said: “It was a wonderful opportunity for the pupils to practice their skills with an expert and get feedback on points they could improve. The girls went in looking very nervous but came out with smiles on their faces and all found the experience very worthwhile.”
Volunteering Opportunities
Joy’s advice for getting into volunteering is to “start small and look for something that fits with your lifestyle and interests. Once you take that first step your confidence will grow and other opportunities will follow.”
If you are interested in volunteering, or would like to share your own volunteering stories, please email alumni@reading.ac.uk.
We currently have a fantastic volunteering opportunity for those in the local area, supporting Rainbow Trust’s Adventure Trail on Whiteknights Campus on Sunday 29 June 2025. If you could help on the day or would like to find out more, please email CharityOfTheYear@reading.ac.uk.
