Spotlight on Tom

June 1, 2016

As it is National Volunteers Week (1st – 10th June), we want to celebrate our guardians’ volunteering more than ever. When Tom became a guardian with Dot Dot Dot he hadn’t previously done any volunteering, but is now involved in several great projects. This is what he has to say:

queen elizabeth olympic park I am currently in my third month of being a Property Guardian with Dot Dot Dot. When I first started I did not have any established volunteering work, but the help I received from Dot Dot Dot could not have been better.

I am now a Park Champion at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where I volunteer at least once a week on the Information and Mobility Desk. I enjoy this so much because of the great people I get to work alongside and a huge sense of reward from the people I get to help. This can be anything from giving directions on a map to escorting someone through the park on a tour who may have mobility issues.

Tom Cavanagh Volunteering I also volunteer with a smaller organisation called World Write. They teach children who come from difficult backgrounds how to film and create documentaries. This is great as they are like a big family and have welcomed me in and are always so grateful for anything I can do to help them. Whether its helping with general admin tasks to ‘trying’ to fix their computers that are all donated.
I thoroughly enjoy volunteering, and with the tools that are available to me (and everyone) it could not be easier to find opportunities that interest me and that I am passionate about.

I have had so much fun over the past few months and I am really looking forward to continuing my volunteering work with the friends I have made along the way.

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Testimonials

“I was drawn to property guardianship because I wanted to live affordably in London which is pretty hard to do – and the volunteering aspect of guardianship with Dot Dot Dot really appealed to me as a way of giving back to the community.”
Carl, High Barnet
Local people have been very positive. They like the fact an empty building in their neighbourhood is being used again and is being maintained.
Conor, Shoreham-by-Sea
“Dot Dot Dot has been a perfect springboard to the city.”
Tom, Croydon
“Once I knew that everyone was up for 16 hours of volunteering a month, I felt pretty confident they’d be great, considerate housemates, and they are.”
Kit, Croydon
“It’s a really cool place – I can use it to work in like an office, and there’s already a great community.”
Pete, Whitechapel
“As a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot I save £450 per month compared with what I used to pay on rent – that’s a significant difference.”
Josh, Poplar
“If I wasn’t a property guardian I would either be paying a ridiculous amount of money on renting in London or unable to move out of my grandmother’s house at all. I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford to spend time volunteering.”
Bella, Bow
“I love the idea that you are part of a community in such a large city. I like the fact we are allowed to be creative with the decoration of the flat and getting involved with local charities is something which I have missed doing over the last few years.”
Jasmine, Peckham
“It’s great because I often work from home. Because it’s a huge building you have you’re own space, but if you want to hang out with other guardians you can.”
Sarah, Whitechapel
“Being a guardian gives me the freedom to do good, invest time in work I believe in and be part of a fascinating community. It’s a no-brainer.”
Sam, Thamesmead