THE average bag of items donated to Mind’s Hilperton shop is worth about £30. That £30 could support three people to take part in a group wellbeing session or enable a pregnant woman to access support to help her successfully understand and manage her own perinatal mental health. But bags of stock are worth nothing if we don’t have volunteers willing to clean items, sort them, create brilliant displays and assist our customers.
Our shop relies on volunteers, which is why for this year’s Volunteers’ Week (June 1-7) we are telling volunteers ‘you make the difference’ and asking the local community ‘how can you make a difference?’ 
I ask readers to support Mind’s Hilperton shop by giving just a couple of hours twice a week.
Volunteering is a great way to give something back to the community and it also provides a chance to develop new skills or build work experience, and can even support you in obtaining an NVQ.
I urge readers to pop in and find out more about how they can help us to secure a better life for the one in four people who experience a mental health problem every year.
Lisa Lee
The Mind Shop
Unit 11
Hackett Place
Hilperton