Volunteer Spotlight – Meet John

Meet John, who joined FareShare North East as a volunteer in February 2019 and is one of our longest, continuously serving volunteers!

John is now 72 years old. He says “I studied at Norwich Catering College, then worked at Mecca in Norwich. I transferred to Newcastle in 1970 to become the Catering Manager at the Mayfair, a famous nightclub.” John worked there for thirty years until its closure in 1999. “I must admit, after leaving the Mayfair I went wild for a few years, doing things such as skiing, motorbiking, climbing and ice camping!”

John played rugby for 25 years. He toured Canada, as an amateur, with Gosforth, now known as the Newcastle Falcons. “I bought a small holding in Allendale and kept horses, sheep, dogs and cats. I was a house husband and raised my children, Phoebe, now aged 14, and Fraser, now 11.” Over two years ago, John visited a friend who worked in a furniture charity that shared the warehouse with FareShare North East. Two weeks later, he was driving vans for FSNE.

“I love going out in the vans for FareShare North East with my regular partners Xana and Alan, who I get on great with.”

John has volunteered at Crisis at Christmas as a cook, as a Guide for The Great North Exhibition and as a facilitator for The Tall Ships when they visited Sunderland. Alongside FareShare North East, John collects prescriptions, shops, and generally helps community members through the Royal Voluntary service.

“From Prince Charles to pop stars, I have met loads of famous people, but most of all, I have enjoyed meeting a lot of different people through my volunteering. It gives me a purpose in life and keeps me young. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone!”

We love to see new, friendly faces! If you would like to join our team of amazing volunteers, click here and fill out an application form. Want to find out more about what our volunteers say about volunteering with FareShare North East?