Nicola's Volunteering Story
Introducing Nicola from the Woodside Free Press magazine team! Nicola has been volunteering since October 2017 and heard about shmu through Facebook and thought to herself ‘that looks interesting’. One thing led to another and here she is!
I heard about shmu through Facebook, you know how one link leads to another and I thought ‘that looks interesting!’ I wanted to get involved and do something for the community. I do a variety of things including writing articles, proof reading, page planning and decision making, selecting articles to go in. I’m inquisitive and like to keep the feelers out there for stories and information for the magazine.
Shmu has allowed me to meet with people and share ideas and create something in a safe and welcoming environment. Volunteering here has helped me with my confidence because they have made me feel part of something and that my contributions matter. Since the birth of my son I have been quite ill but it wasn’t an issue with shmu, I feel normal and accepted. I feel really lucky to be a part of something that has a far reach but still has but still has the community and the power of the individual at its core.
I think shmu benefits the community as it has a voice and it’s that of local people, not people from outwith the area telling us what they think we want to hear. Shmu staff are friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. They do so much for the volunteers, encouraging and supporting them and I have seen how volunteering has affected others. They since when talking about what they do for shmu and have a sense of pride that they are part of it. Having that connection is important, even though Woodside is a close area, there are wee pockets and it’s a way of getting into those and people working together, not alone. The magazines and radio help folk see they’re not isolated as they can connect with the volunteers through their contributions. I think having a physical copy of the magazine as well as online content is beneficial as not everyone has that and it means everyone is included and gets their news.
At the start of this year I was ordained as a Minister for Woodside Congregational Church. Way back in February 2014 the former minister asked for a meeting with me where he asked if I had ever thought about becoming a minister as I had the qualities he thought were important for the job. In all honesty I hadn’t ever considered it, but I did a six month trial which went really well. Last year the minister suggested I take over to lead to the service. Shmu helped me find a voice and speak up in groups and I can use that experience when I am speaking to the congregation during my sermons.
