Stephen Morgan MP joins the team at Oxfam in Southsea

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has joined the volunteers’ team at his local Oxfam charity shop in Southsea.
He volunteered his time for a few hours in support of the Oxfam’s Join The Team campaign, which is asking the public to volunteer a few hours in their local charity shop.
From staffing the till to steaming clothes and sorting books, Mr Morgan got stuck in to support Oxfam’s work to fight poverty.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“It was great to mark the end of Volunteers Week by joining the hard working volunteers at Oxfam and seeing first-hand the important work they do.
“Volunteers are the backbone of so many charities across our great city and I’m glad to see this shop, which has been there for as long as I can remember, still raising money for such an important cause.”

Oxfam Southsea Shop Manager, Rachel Orr, said:
“It is fantastic that Mr Morgan has joined our team. Oxfam combats the global injustice of poverty and without our amazing dedicated and passionate volunteers, this simply wouldn’t be possible. People can give as little or as much time as they can –  starting with two hours per week ”.
The Oxfam shop on Osborne Road, which opened more than 30 years ago, sells a wide range of items, from clothes to homewares to children’s toys – both on the high street and online now. It is currently staffed by about 16 volunteers.
Orr said:
“We have a great volunteers’ team in Southsea, and with the summer approaching and the school holiday season, we just need a few extra passionate members of the local community who have spare time, want to make a difference and to enjoy having a chat with our lovely customers”.
All volunteers are given on-the-job training and the chance to learn new skills, develop existing talents and take on responsibility. The range of work includes pricing donations, sorting stock, updating the shop’s social media channels, using the till, photography, and dressing the windows.
Every pound spent in Oxfam makes a difference to people’s lives around the world.
Orr said:
“Every week, one volunteer shift could raise enough money to give two people clean drinking water in Ethiopia, or to provide one woman in Bangladesh with access to a safe bathing cubicle. Or to train six farmers in climate resilient farming techniques in Ghana”.

Oxfam shops rely on teams of volunteers to stay open. Last year, the network of 630 shops in the UK and the Oxfam Online Shop raised almost £22 million pounds for the charity’s work fighting extreme poverty and suffering in more than 60 countries around the world.
Orr said:
 “If you are a dab hand at fashion, great at fixing toys or amazing at using a computer then pop down and pick up an application form. Everyone has a talent that can contribute to our life saving work“.