Sea Fever, Fish and Chips: Merseyside Volunteers Celebration

From Christopher Lynn, Volunteer Assistant

‘I must go down to the seas again,
to the lonely sea and the sky’
- John Masefield – Sea Fever

All of The Reader's Merseyside-based volunteer projects joined forces for our ‘No Frills Fish and Chips social’ in New Brighton last week. The Big Lottery, Off the Page and Calderstones volunteers came together to round off the summer with the sea, a stroll and some tasty fish and chips. It was our way to thank our volunteers for their relentless care and commitment.

We were welcomed by the endless blue of the wide sea and sky on a beautifully mild, calm evening (phew!). After gathering at The Mediterranean Sea Fish Bar we set about ordering and serving our group of 40 or so volunteers, efficiently and swiftly taken care of by Big Lottery Manager Megg!

Whilst feasting, we had the opportunity to act as socialites; chatting, welcoming and spotting connections between our fellow volunteer colleagues.

After dodging a few gulls and conquering our mountains of chips, we eventually gave in to that elusive pull of the sea as some of the group set off for a full-bellied stroll. We settled to take in the evening sea view and were treated to an improvised reading of John Masefield’s Sea Fever from Emma – a stand-out moment for one of volunteers who kindly reflected her highlights in one of my admin sessions this week:

‘It was good to get together - meeting new people and staff you haven’t seen. I enjoyed when we did the poem on our walk!...Getting out and about. The Fish and Chips were absolutely beautiful!’ - Lesley

A satisfying summary that seems to touch upon that need to feel connected; to experience the camaraderie of volunteership, as well as being part of The Reader family.

A special thanks to The Mediterranean Sea Fish Bar who prepared mountains of fish and chips and were very accommodating when our forty strong group descended on their shop. A real team effort from Gillian, Katie, Megg, Celia and Emma who planned the event, communicated throughout and arranged various meeting points to suit the different needs of our volunteers – many thanks everyone!

Find out more about our volunteering projects in Merseyside and across the country on our website: https://www.thereader.org.uk/working-with-us/volunteering