I decided I wanted to do some volunteer work, and when I was looking through my options, The Cold Weather Group really stood out to me. It seemed very different, and I thought it would be more challenging than other opportunities presented to me. Homelessness has always intrigued me; why are they on the streets? how did they end up there? how do they cope? And although I've had answers to such questions, I've learnt so much more from this experience than I could have imagined, aside from the excellent training I received prior to my first shift. The meaning of 'putting things in perspective' has a new, and much deeper meaning for me now, and I feel I've not only learnt a great deal about people in a very different situation to myself, but I've also learnt a lot about myself. I'm very thankful that I was given the opportunity to work with The Cold Weather Group, as it has been such an important, insightful, and fun(!) experience for me.

Kevin Edwards - studying a masters in Careers Advising at UWE - Cold Weather Group 2006/7

I very much enjoyed my time volunteering with the Cold Weather Group. I found it to be challenging, enjoyable, stimulating and rewarding. I can choose many words to describe my experience - all of which are positive. It was not what I imagined, beforehand I had this stereotypical view of homeless people as being aggressive, deranged drug addicts, however my view has since changed. All of the service users I had the fortune to meet were respectful, polite, and appreciative of the fact we had given up our time for them. I never felt alone on the job so to speak, due to the presence of other volunteers working on the shift, and also the staff were always on hand to help and advise. I felt the training we received prepared us for our role at the night centre and gave us an insight into what it must be like to have serious personal problems. God knows were I will be next Winter but if I am in Bristol I will definitely volunteer at the night centre again!

Dominique Toyra - a mature linguists student at UWE - Cold Weather Group Volunteer 2006/7

I had a great experience. The short shifts mean you are very busy and never look at the clock, leaving you with the feeling that something has been achieved. Everyone is friendly and the atmosphere always upbeat and positive which follows you as you step outside.

Jo - Cold Weather Group Volunteer 2003/04 and 2004/05

I first applied to be a volunteer befriender for the Cold Weather Group in 2003, after learning about the position from the Bristol Volunteer Bureau. I was sent an application pack, which was fairly straightforward to complete, and after a chat with the Volunteer Co-ordinator, I was invited to attend the two main training sessions: "Dealing with Challenging Behaviour" and "Effective Listening". Both courses were really well run and informative, and gave us all a chance to meet each other before starting our volunteer shifts at the night shelter. It also gave us the opportunity to share our expectations (and nerves!) about what being a volunteer befriender would be like.

It turned out that most of our worries were unfounded, as we were given lots of support in our role, and the project workers were always on hand to answer any questions and offer advice when we needed it (much appreciated!). The homeless visitors at the night centre were a pleasure to work with too, and there were many occasions when I stayed on after all the food had been served to chat to those staying at the shelter. I heard some amazing life stories, and it was lovely to feel that I was making a difference, however small, by lending a non-judgemental ear to someone who might not get the chance to have such a chat otherwise. The majority of people were very friendly, and really appreciated the fact that we were giving up our spare time voluntarily to help out at the shelter - I was really touched on numerous occasions by people's gratitude and respect towards the volunteers.

I was really sad when the project ended, so it was lovely that on the last night we held a barbeque for all those who had stayed at the night shelter throughout the winter. It was good to see some old faces, and to hear some of the success stories of people who had gone on to find longer-term accommodation after the shelter.

Having enjoyed my experience as a volunteer so much, I was delighted when the Cold Weather Group phoned me up the following year to ask if I would like to come back - and of course I said yes! Furthermore, I was really interested to learn more about the homelessness sector, and in February of this year, I found the courage to leave my old job as an auditor to apply for a job at a busy homeless hostel. The fact that I had been a volunteer for the Cold Weather Group meant that I already knew the client group really well, and so had lots to talk about at the interview. I've now been working at the hostel for 10 months, and I gain great satisfaction from what I do… and it makes me smile to think that I could still be stuck in a job I didn't enjoy if I hadn't volunteered for the Cold Weather Group!

Jenny - Cold Weather Group Volunteer 2004/05

I had only been living in Bristol for a month when I saw the advert asking for volunteers at the nightshelter. I'd moved to a new city with the intention of getting a 'proper job', and was particularly interested in working with people experiencing housing problems. My previous experiences of volunteering had always been valuable, and this looked like a brilliant opportunity to learn more about the issues faced by homeless people.

As well as helping with the practical side of things, serving food and hot drinks, I was able to get to know the people who were using the shelter and learn about their experiences. It was really interesting to talk to people about the realities of homelessness and learn about the ways in which they were dealing with it. The project workers were very helpful and offered a lot of information about the different services available to homeless people in Bristol.

As someone new to the city I also enjoyed the social aspects of volunteering. It was a really good team and the gatherings at a local pub were always a good laugh. The volunteers came from as varied a background as those who used the service and it really felt like we were all working together in a very positive way to help to address some very difficult problems. It was good getting feedback from the clients about how important the nightshelter was to them and made me determined to continue working with them to improve services.