Literacy, hairdressing, fundraising, photography and PR are just a few of the services offered by the 999 Volunteers, and that’s not counting the thousands of cups of tea made and slices of toast spread or the students who give up a week of their holidays, forsaking backpacking round Europe to take the Deptford kids to the countryside for a week’s holiday.

Our literacy worker, Michelle, comes into the Downham centre and helps local children who have had difficulties in the school system. Her one-to-one tutoring brings amazing results. She also helps adults who have problems with their reading and writing.

Our hairdresser, Kerry, really transforms people’s lives. Some of her ‘ladies’ have physical problems, such as arthritis, which makes cutting or styling their hair difficult. Other simply can’t afford, or feel they can’t splash out on themselves by going to the hairdresser.

Our volunteers are local mums, school children on work experience, gap year students, students who want to get involved in their local community and put their sociology and media studies theory into practice, post graduates looking for ‘hands on’ experience and, thanks to our links with Goldsmiths College, they come from all over the world, from Deptford to Hong Kong, from New Cross to the USA.