Laura Stevenson has been a participant with Cedar Foundation Inclusion Works programme over recent years and has found the challenge of finding a volunteering placement almost impossible during the Pandemic.

This was quite discouraging and frustrating during lock down restrictions.

Laura and her Case Officer looked for various opportunities for a volunteering placement and eventually in Spring of 2022 came across an opportunity at Belfast Linen Hall Library.

Laura applied to volunteer, had a very positive Meeting in April, and loved the library, and Belinda Hunter, Operations and Visitor Experience Manager, was so friendly and welcoming. Laura attended for Induction and guidance and then started volunteering in June 2022.

Laura organised with her Case Officer to travel by Taxi from her Cedar apartment in Ardkeen to the City Centre and now meets Belinda in Belfast City Centre every Thursday and walks over to the library.

Laura has said:

“I like my placement at Linen Hall Library, it is interesting. I’m doing old Archive programs of different events throughout Northern Ireland.’

Laura has been involved in setting up a display of fascinating resources of old resources from concerts and musical venues over the past 100 years. Laura has also been sorting the photos and resources chronologically, which is time consuming and meticulous task.”

The Linen Hall Library have been so welcoming and have provided Laura with an interesting volunteering opportunity which will no doubt be a great asset to the amazing records being kept there.

We wish Laura well as she moves on from Inclusion Works, Cedar Foundation at the end of October and continues with this volunteering.