Safety Centre Volunteers- Iain

Safety Centre Volunteers- Volunteers Week 2022

This week is Volunteers Week and we’ve been speaking to some of our brilliant volunteers about how they got involved with the Safety Centre and what they enjoy about volunteering with us.

Iain’s Story

Iain has been a volunteer at the Safety Centre Charity for five years. Originally from Glasgow, Iain is now retired and lives in Milton Keynes with his wife. Following a career in electronics Iain now enjoys working with his community in Wolverton, woodwork and running when he’s not leading tours at the Safety Centre. Every week during term time we welcome school children to our immersive learning centre Hazard Alley, where Iain leads tours of children around our 12 safety scenarios. Here volunteers talk about the dangers of everyday situations and how we can keep ourselves safe. We asked Iain how he got involved with volunteering at the Safety Centre and he said:

I’d not long retired when I saw a stand outside of Tesco which said “Help Save Children”. At first I didn’t think it was for me but then I thought, no I’ve been looking for something to do, I’ll see what it’s all about. I’ve never looked back. I love the tours, they’re great fun. They keep me stimulated and get me out of the house. It’s been really good for my mental agility trying to remember students’ names and scenarios. Knowing that my work here helps kids to remember that, if nothing else, when they’re in trouble they need to find someone to help, is so important to me. As well as teaching children about the importance of crossing the road safely, as you only get one chance to do it right. It’s always fun with the kids, they keep you on your toes.

Best Safety Scenario

We asked Iain what his favourite safety scenario was and he said

Road safety is my favourite, because every year over 3,000 people are hurt or die crossing the road. Cars and road crossing can be very dangerous when things go wrong. Teaching children about these dangers is so important and giving them the tools to make decisions safely.

Iain said to anyone thinking about joining the volunteer team at the Safety Centre:

Do it. Its wonderful. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. It means so much to me. You can’t think of anything great on your own but when you’re part of a team things happen. Sharing real stories helps people learn and that’s what we do here.

You can find out more information about volunteering with us here. If you’d like to volunteer with us please get in touch by calling us on 01908 263009.