Student praised for Tudor Lodge volunteering role
A YOUNG student from St Vincent College has been praised for his continuing support of nursing home residents in Fareham over recent months; the Stubbington-based eighteen year old giving up his free time to volunteer following a successful work experience earlier this year.
Josh Halewood is currently studying a Level Two course in Esports and first visited Tudor Lodge in Fareham this summer, where he made an immediate impact on residents and staff alike. And even though the work experience has ended, Josh continues to volunteer on a weekly basis and even went in over his birthday weekend.
This has been confirmed by his tutor Kirsty Bailey, who has supported Josh throughout this journey. She said “He has been volunteering there every weekend, putting a smile on the residents faces and putting something back into his local community. He knows all of the residents by name now and really has empathy with them. He enjoys building a connection and trust with them and has even won the bingo a few times.”
Ms Bailey continued: “I am so very proud of Josh and the challenges and barriers he has overcome to do this. He has gained valuable experience, is loved by the residents and has become a valuable and well liked member of their team.”
The home’s wellbeing co-ordinator Jannette Broxton has furthermore been impressed as she said: “I saw the potential in him straight away. He’s very nurturing and he’s just such a lovely young lad. We paired him with Paige Duffin, a younger member of the staff who organises our activities on a Saturday, and he helps her call the bingo and the residents to check their cards. The residents absolutely love him, they say he always chats and tries to help however he can.”
And the final word goes to Josh, who explained how much enjoyment he experiences on his visits: “The staff are lovely and I get on with them as well as the residents. I hope this is seen as a good example for the college because it shows that volunteering isn’t bad, and you get to see what the working world involves.”
Readers can explore more information about the college and their wide range of courses on offer by visiting www.stvincent.ac.uk, whilst a number of volunteering opportunities can be seen here.
PICTURED BY ST VINCENT COLLEGE: Josh poses for photo with group of residents at Tudor Lodge in Fareham.
