Poli put the kettle on: Pauline keeps the Tuesday and Friday volunteers in brews at our Bromborough Croft charity showroom

While getting stuck into the serving, sorting and stocking up in our Bromborough Croft charity showroom, Pauline ‘Poli’ Allen has to make sure everyone has a hot drink at least once an hour on her Friday shift.

Staff and volunteers, and the van drivers who are offloading furniture or loading up for a delivery, soon have a cuppa in their hands and, you know, everyone is better off because of that small gesture.

Pauline is a helpful person. She started her working life as an audio typist in a solicitors office and her extremely efficient secretarial and administrative skills led to a long career as a civil servant.

She worked in probation and family welfare services, eventually being Tupe’d over to Career Connect an organization which works to get former prisoners into employment, education and training. Important work!

Retirement came just as lockdown happened! Once we could all go out again, Pauline and husband of 46 years, Andy, (they’ve been together since they were both thirteen) were, amongst other things, like gardening and swimming, off in their campervan around the UK.

They have two grown up sons, Mark, who has Pauline and Andy’s grandchildren, Grace and Maggie, and Michael, who was once a County Champion at golf.

Retirement also gave Pauline the opportunity, as she says, “to give something back,”

She loves the Bromborough Croft team,

“I really look forward to my shifts at the showroom. We’re a really close-knit team of volunteers John (manager) and Liz (assistant manager), are so knowledgeable and supportive. I’ve only volunteered since February, but I’m constantly astonished by the quality of the furniture and other items that people donate. To know the funds raised are going to such a great cause in our Wirral community makes the volunteering that much more satisfying. It’s brilliant.”

So are you Pauline, we’ll pop in again soon for a nice cuppa. Many thanks for all you do.

Our Bromborough Croft showroom is open at the Croft Trade Park in Bromborough, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4.30pm. If you’d like to donate larger items of furniture, please call 0151-334 2558 to arrange for a pick-up.

A full list of all Wirral Hospice St John’s charity shops is at www.wirralhospice.org/charityshops  and, if you’d like to volunteer in our shops you can also contact us by email at volunteering@wirralhospice.org and we can send you all the relevant details.