Our volunteers love the flexibility of Move Mail...
‘It helps get you out for exercise on days when you might otherwise be stuck in front of a screen’
At Move the Masses, we love the outdoors. We love walking, running, hiking, climbing, cycling and strolling in the lovely spaces we’re lucky enough to have great access to and we love the fresh air in our lungs!
That’s why we adore our Move Mail volunteers. Not only do they help us save the pennies and get our post delivered super fast, but it means we’re contributing less to air pollution too.
Ahead of Clean Air Day on 17th June, Global Action Plan say that one of the top things you can do to help with air pollution is to ‘Walk, cycle and scoot more, especially using the back streets away from polluting traffic.’, which sums up our Move Mailers very well (they know all the best shortcuts!).
How does it actually work and how do you know if it would suit you as a volunteering role?
– We have mail that needs posting
– We send an alert to our Whatsapp group. It tells you how many letters need delivering, to what areas and when.
– If you’re up for the delivery you just reply and we’ll give you all the details for collection.
That’s it. You then cycle, walk or run to the collection address and whizz out the mail across the city.
It’s absolutely perfect for those who have sporadic work patterns or hobbies and may not feel they can commit to more regular volunteering.
Being a Move Mailer at Move the Masses is a really easy way to volunteer on your own terms and provide a bit of motivation to get you out and about even more! But don’t worry, we’re not just going to tell you how great it is without some cold hard proof, so let’s hear from our Move Mailers themselves. Rachel, who signed up as a Move Mailer last summer to help with prescription deliveries during the first lockdown said…
“‘I really enjoyed the combination of helping out, getting some gentle exercise on my bike and discovering parts of the city I’d never been to before.”
Volunteer, Rachel.
Rachel also now volunteers as a Move Mate once a week.
‘It’s never very time consuming, takes me along different cycle paths, and helps the Move the Masses funds too.’ Rachel also lets us in on her secret incentive for getting involved in Move Mail deliveries.
“My husband and I have an ongoing discussion about who clocks up the most mileage on their bike over the course of a few months. My husband would love to think his occasional lycra-clad racing bike outings with a friend beat my gentle city riding on my Dutch bike hands down. But with every Move Mail trip I do helping my tally, he’s having to admit he’s wrong!“
Volunteer, Rachel.
And what more of a reason do you need to volunteer than that you may be able to get an extra point in the monthly mileage competition at home?!
When you’re delivering Move Mail, you might be dropping off a welcome pack for a new referral, delivering an ID card to a volunteer or posting someone’s first walk letter that confirms they have been paired up with a volunteer! It’s all important stuff.
Mitch, who is a regular Move Mailer, sums it up perfectly.
“I unfortunately can’t commit to being a Move Mate, but I am able to do Move Mail as it’s flexible around work. I can do lunchtime or after work (or sneak out during the day if it’s stressful!) and I still feel I’m helping the charity in a small way’“
Volunteer, Mitch.
Since January 2021 alone we have had over 50 Move Mail deliveries and that’s not including the mammoth delivery of our first beneficiary newsletter earlier this year, which saw around 80 deliveries going out over about three days.
Pam, another regular Move Mailer told us that it’s lovely if she gets the chance to chat to the beneficiary receiving the letter as they are always really grateful.
“You get to play my favourite game of “hunt the house” complete with 14-year-old A to Z, and find streets even in your local area that you never knew existed. And to admire other people’s gardens. It helps get you out for exercise on days when you might otherwise be stuck in front of a screen’“
Volunteer, Pam.