Stowmarket volunteers fair at The Mix offers new opportunities for town's youngsters

A networking event has given a town’s young people a chance to learn more about the world of volunteering.

More than 40 people attended the volunteers fair at The Mix in Ipswich Street, Stowmarket on Wednesday, February 8.

The event was organised by the Together Project to provide young people and businesses a chance to network and fill upcoming volunteering vacancies.

Lauren Bantock, Together Project coordinator and youth worker, said: “It all went really well - the feedback from all the businesses has been incredible and it’s great to see lots of young people at the event.

“You could tell they were actually engaged rather than just coming for the sake of it - they all wanted to be there.”

This was the first volunteers fair at The Mix and 17 businesses attended to showcase volunteering opportunities including Red Gables, Dance East, National Literacy Trust, Primadonna Festival and Suffolk Police.

The Together Project offers support for young people aged 15 to 25 who are going into further education, employment and training.

More information on the project can be found here.

Lauren added: “I think a lot of young people didn’t really see the point of volunteering before - they just wanted a job and to get straight into work, but these voluntary placements can lead to so many more places going forward that I don’t think they considered.

“A lot of us at The Mix got our roles through volunteering and I think we’re definitely going to host another fair in the future at some point.”