23 years and counting...
Pat Morgan is BCM Resource Centre's longest-standing volunteer - he's been with us for 23 years! - and we couldn't do without him.
Pat looks like the sort of person that you might not want to approach, with his hands and arms covered in tattoos. However that image couldn’t be further from the truth. Looks can certainly be deceiving.
Pat turned up at the old Resource Centre in Washington Street after many years of moving around, living in London, Paris, Bristol, and arriving in Birmingham in 2001. Having found a place to live, he came in looking for some furniture. Our Assistant Manager, Andy Morton, gave him a chair, so at last he had something to sit on. Once the chair had been delivered he returned and saw a sofa that matched it and had that too.
We asked Pat whether he would volunteer with us and he thought that would be a good idea as he would get first pick of the things that come in. So on 30th May 2001 he started work as a volunteer. 23 years later he is still coming in to the Resource Centre three days every week.
Every year for the last five years Pat has been telling us that he is going to retire, but we tell him he cannot. What would we do without him? He is our longest serving volunteer. He is very reliable and he goes out on the van if we need him to. He makes up food parcels and gives them out when people come in for them. He is so calm and chilled, which rubs off on the rest of us. He says whatever stability he shows to others, he has found from working here with us.
He still changes his sofa regularly - he can find change down the sides of sofas that nobody else can! He is a trusted and popular member of our team, and a very good friend to us all.
Chris Fisher, Resource Centre Manager
‘Pat is so calm and gentle, never gets flustered, very funny.’
‘He has a wicked sense of humour.”
‘I have learned a lot from him.’
‘He is a good cook, making stews out of the out-of-date tins.’
‘Pat is very careful when carrying the furniture, making sure it arrives undamaged. He talks a lot about his 31 grandchildren. I’m not sure if he can remember all of their names!’
‘Pat has so many stories to tell.’
Do you have time to spare during the week to volunteer at the Resource Centre? We need help on the vans, driving and shifting furniture. Interested? Call 0121 766 6603 or email jeanharborne@birminghamcitymission.co.uk
