Two teams of staff from Ely Job Centre spent a day helping out at a Littleport charity.

Some helped sort donations at Branching Out charity shop while others helped give the head offices in Grange Lane a make over.

Shop manager Simon Garner said: “It was a brilliant morning, Michelle, Amanda and Pauline were a huge help. They managed to bring our back-log of donations up to date and did it with a smile and a whole heap of laughs.

“It was really good to have people see what it is we do behind the scenes in the shop, especially the amount of rubbish that comes through that we can’t sell as well as the amazing, quality donations that we are able to use to raise money.

“It was exciting to see what would be possible if we had more volunteers on a regular basis. I hope the morning crew had as much fun as we did”.

Susan Wiggans, general manager of Branching Out, said: “We have worked with Ely Job Centre on a regular basis supporting people to volunteer in our Littleport and Chatteris charity shops, and at our head office where we support adults at risk with learning disabilities.

“We were really pleased to host their team for the day.

“In the morning they helped the charity shop sort through all the donations to get items processed for sale on the shop floor and in the afternoon, they repainted our office while taking part in a live video feed on our Facebook page.

“Can’t thank them enough, they really made a difference in such a short time.”

A representative from Ely Job Centre said: “We enjoyed our experience very much. It’s great to make a difference to such a worthwhile charity.

“We already have a good working relationship with the charity and this just strengthens this further. We continue to promote volunteering as an option for all our customers when appropriate and we have some excellent examples of when volunteering can help someone move forward into work and in life in general”.

• If you are interested in a community day at Branching Out, please contact enquiries@branchingoutuk.com