How we helped Martin

Martin Gannon started volunteering through the New Deal. He has been a constant support to the Volunteer Services Team ever since, currently he volunteers two days a week supporting the core services of the volunteer centre.

Before I went on the New Deal programme I had been a carer, looking after my elderly mother for over five years. When I referred to New Deal I was offered the choice of an apprenticeship with a large company or voluntary work. I didn't really fancy going back into a large company after such a long break so I chose voluntary work.

I was really nervous about going back into the workplace but the New Deal Programme at the Volunteer Centre gave me an enormous amount of confidence. The New Deal Team linspired me by helping me make small steps in the right direction. I soon got back into IT after my long break and after a short time I was processing registrations and working on the Volunteer Centre's database.

It was a positive boost at a time in my life when I really needed it. The New Deal Programme helped me reassess my IT skills, gave me the confidence to work in a team and to get involved in an office environment again. Above all, it gave me work experience to put on my CV and to talk about in interviews. I had fallen out of the habit of doing job search and applying for jobs, New Deal Programme actively encouraged me to start job-searching again.

I have been volunteering at the Volunteer Centre since March 2006. I never thought I would have the confidence to interview members of the public and now I enjoy doing interviews and drop-ins. At the moment I am looking forward to starting on a new project at the volunteer centre, working with young people. There are no two ways about it, Volunteering through the New Deal helped me get back into my stride and helped me feel more purposeful. I would recommend it to anyone.

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