A college boss showed he’s all heart as he put his hectic workload to one side to spend time volunteering with the British Heart Foundation.

Stockton Riverside College Deputy Principal Mick Hickey spent the afternoon sorting stock and greeting customers as he joined staff at the charity’s High Street store in Stockton.

Having worked as a butcher’s boy as a teenager and spending his early career working in shops Mr Hickey said: “I’m not new to retail but it’s been some 30-odd years since I’ve worked in that environment so I was looking forward to having a go and seeing how things have changed.”

This time, however, he said, things were a bit different as he was working in a charity shop, surrounded by volunteers giving their time for a good cause.

Mr Hickey’s return to the shop floor came in the same week as the British Heart Foundation’s Wear It Beat It day, a national campaign raising funds for the charity’s lifesaving work.

Amanda Ross, manager of the BHF Stockton shop, said: “We were delighted to welcome Stockton Riverside College’s Deputy Principal into the shop to work alongside our volunteers and find out about the work that we do here.

“Volunteers are absolutely integral to the success of the British Heart Foundation, and play a vital part in helping us to fight for every heartbeat and provide essential funding into lifesaving research. We appreciate every minute people can spare and in return, we try to make sure our volunteers gain a lot from working with us.

“Our volunteers can not only use and develop the skills they already have, but can also keep their foot on the career ladder, work towards qualifications and gain some excellent experience all whilst knowing they are doing something amazing for charity.”

Amanda said for those who aren’t able to volunteer but would like to help fight heart disease, the Stockton BHF shop is always looking for donations. Donated items help fill the shelves and shop floors and raise money to help the BHF fund the research that leads to breakthroughs.

For information about the volunteering opportunities with the British Heart Foundation visit: bhf.org.uk/volunteer

The Stockton store also operates a free collection service for donated items which can be booked by calling 01642 612276.

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