Volunteer of the Month – Jo
Jo has been volunteering with us for just over a year, starting out in the cafe and more recently helping us analyse our current visitor feedback methodology, ensuring we are capturing useful feedback about our visitors’ experiences. Jo completed our volunteer of the month questionnaire – here’s some more about her:
What sort of volunteering do you do with Friends of Windmill Gardens and how long have you been volunteering?
I’ve been volunteering at the Brixton Windmill since summer last year, primarily in the Cafe.
Tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do when you are not volunteering?
I am currently studying for a MA in Anthropology of Food at SOAS, having worked for c. 30 years in food and drink brand marketing. Alongside academia, I’m working for a number of food related charities as well as nurturing an interest in family history and cooking.
How did you get into volunteering with FoWG?
I wanted to do something totally different, meet new people and use my skills in new environments so I discussed different volunteering options with the Southwark Council Volunteering team including Brixton Windmill. It was the local social and cultural heritage and community-driven nature of the organisation which led me to contacting Catherine.
What’s your favourite thing about volunteering?
It’s difficult to boil down to one thing! Apart from access to the best homemade jam and cakes, it’s talking to other volunteers, and meeting visitors who are often delighted to have just “discovered” the Windmill.
How have you benefited from volunteering?
It’s given me an insight into community organisations, beyond the corporate world I’ve been used to, run by dedicated and enthusiastic local people wanting to preserve cultural and industrial history and support the local community, alongside the constant need for getting funding and support. I’m also using my marketing background to support an extra project analysing visitor experience, giving me inspiration for potential future career paths.
What advice would you give someone looking to volunteer?
Just try it! There are lots of opportunities for getting involved, everyone is very friendly and your help will always be valued. It’ll give you new experiences which might inspire you.
Tell us a surprising fact about Brixton Windmill (if you can)
I was volunteering on Saturday alongside a descendent of the Ashbys – the family who ran the Brixton mill during the whole of its working life – how fantastic that the social connections still exist!
