Volunteers' Week 2025
11 June 2025
Recently, Carpenters Group celebrated Volunteers Week, a time to recognise the importance of giving back to our community.
To support our colleagues in their volunteer efforts, we offer two fully paid volunteering days each year. This initiative allows our team members to dedicate time to causes they are passionate about, making a positive impact in our communities.
In honour of Volunteers Week 2025, we heard from Lorain Flannery, one of our Legal Systems Trainers, about her inspiring volunteer work at the Swan Women’s Centre in Liverpool.
Lorain Flannery, Carpenters Group colleague
How did you start volunteering?
I started at the Swan Women’s Centre back in 2023 as a student counsellor. In the final year of our counselling training, we’re required to complete 100 hours of hands-on experience. I was fortunate to secure two fantastic placements - one at Sean’s Place and the other at the Swan Women’s Centre. Both experiences, and the services these organisations provide to individuals, have left a lasting impression on me. We’re incredibly lucky to have such valuable facilities available to our community.
How important are volunteers for the Swan Women's Centre?
Volunteers are absolutely essential to the operation of the Swan Women’s Centre. While the Centre has a small number of paid staff, the majority of its services - particularly counselling - are delivered by volunteers. This includes both qualified volunteer counsellors and student counsellors who are gaining practical experience to complete their training hours.
Without these dedicated individuals, the Centre would be unable to maintain the scope and accessibility of its services. Volunteers allow the Centre to support more women in the community than would otherwise be possible with limited funding. Their contributions ensure that vital support, such as mental health counselling and wellbeing programmes, remain available and responsive to the needs of local women.
Can you describe some of the ways you provide help as a counsellor?
Taking the first step to come to counselling is a huge moment for many people. One of the most important things I do is help clients feel at ease from the very beginning. I take the time to listen to their story without judgment, to truly empathise with the - almost as if I were in their shoes. Just being heard and understood can be incredibly powerful. It helps clients feel valued, supported, and less alone in what they’re going through. Sometimes, that sense of being truly listened to is the first step towards healing.
What would you say to someone to encourage them to volunteer?
Volunteering is incredibly rewarding. For me, it’s about seeing the difference you can make in someone’s life - like watching a person grow through counselling, becoming stronger, less vulnerable, and more at ease with themselves. Knowing I played a small part in that journey is deeply fulfilling.
But volunteering isn’t just about counselling. Charities like the Swan Women’s Centre rely on volunteers for all kinds of roles - admin, events, support work, and more. Most of these organisations simply couldn’t run without that support.
There’s a real sense of pride in knowing, yes, I helped make this happen. It’s not just about giving your time - it’s about being part of something that truly matters.
