Post | August 2026 | Volunteer Stories | 2 min read

The people behind the welcome: meet Soha and Steph

Written by

Bec Down

Each volunteer that supports Herts Welcomes Refugees, does so with their own story to share. Some are inspired by personal experiences, others by their studies, their values, their family or simply a desire to make a positive difference in their local community.

But with each of their volunteers is a common thread: that welcoming refugees isn't just about offering practical support, it's about building human connection, challenging misconceptions and reminding people that everyone deserves kindness, dignity and a sense of belonging.

Two of Herts Welcomes Refugees newest volunteers, Soha and Steph, beautifully capture what motivates so many people to get involved.

For Steph, volunteering grew naturally from her academic interest in migration and human rights. After studying Geography at Durham University and focusing her dissertation on the UK asylum system, she wanted to use that learning in a practical way to help tackle these issues.

Steph explains, "I wanted to help in any way that I could to improve the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers and show that they are welcome and valued in our community."

Inspired by the work of Herts Welcomes Refugees, Steph became part of the weekly hotel drop-in group, helping new arrivals navigate everything from understanding Home Office letters to accessing education opportunities and local activities. While the work is varied, Steph really enjoys seeing people begin to build friendships, grow in confidence and find moments of normality despite living and navigating difficult circumstances.

"The positive impacts of HWR's work are so inspiring," she says. "Seeing residents enjoy activities together, forming friendships and feeling empowered is my favourite part of volunteering."

For Soha, volunteering is also rooted in a long-standing belief that our communities are strengthened by people from different backgrounds and cultures. Having studied History, Politics, Economics and International Relations at university, she became increasingly interested in refugee issues through following organisations supporting people fleeing conflict.

Having returned home after university gave Soha the opportunity to volunteer with Herts Welcomes Refugees, using her skills to create graphics, communications and campaigns that raise awareness of the charity's work.

One of the most powerful things volunteering has given Soha is the opportunity to meet people seeking asylum face-to-face.

"When you interact with refugees and asylum seekers," she reflects, "you learn human stories which are so important in helping dispel harmful myths."

Those conversations have reinforced something she already believed; that behind every headline is a person with a story, with hopes, talents, families and ambitions.

Listening to individual experiences helps replace assumptions with understanding and reminds us how much we all have in common, deep down.

This is something many Herts Welcomes Refugees volunteers talk about.

Whether they're teaching English, helping children with homework, running activities, sorting donations or simply sharing a cup of tea and conversation - volunteering becomes a two-way exchange.

While volunteers are the ones that offer practical support, they often find they receive just as much in return through new friendships, fresh perspectives and a deeper understanding of the resilience and courage shown by the people they meet and the stories they share.

Steph has a simple message for anyone wondering whether to get involved: "Just go for it!"

To find out what roles Herts Welcomes Refugees has available:

Volunteer at Herts Welcomes Refugees

"Volunteering is such a large factor in improving wellbeing, it is a chance to meet new people...while helping the community."

| Volunteer Stories

Tina is a Trustee for North Herts and Stevenage CVS, we found out why she loves volunteering. Tell us a bit about yourself I am an 18 year old student from Letchworth Garden City. I am a climate activist, local campaigner and volunteer. I am also heavily involved in local politics. How long have you been a volunteer? I have been a volunteer for most of my life and have a wealth of volunteer experience which started at school. I have coached athletics to disabled children and in the sixth form I took part in the school council, running charity events and helping out in history as part of the ambassador programme. In the local community, I have volunteered in a range of places such as a pop-up shop for a local homelessness charity and supported local community cafes. I recently became a Trustee at the North Herts & Stevenage Centre for Voluntary Services. Why did you decide to start volunteering? I decided to start volunteering to give back to the local community that I feel so passionately about. I became a Trustee because I wanted to use my volunteering experience and personal experiences to support and promote others undertaking volunteering opportunities and to aid the development of the voluntary sector in Hertfordshire. What’s good about volunteering? I find volunteering incredibly rewarding. It gives you the chance to make a positive difference to the local community and the world around you. Biggest challenges you have faced as a volunteer? There are a lot of preconceived ideas about the kinds of people that do certain kinds of volunteering. As a young working-class BAME woman that is a Trustee this is something I come across regularly Why would you recommend volunteering to others? Volunteering is such a large factor in improving wellbeing, it is a chance to meet new people, gain new skills and experiences while helping the community.

"Volunteering has given me so much pleasure - it's added interest and challenge to my life."

| Volunteer Stories

Marian is an inspiring volunteer who volunteers for a range of organisations in lots of different ways. We spoke to Marion to hear all about her fantastic volunteering journey. Tell us a bit about yourself I used to teach Modern Languages but in 2010 I took early retirement and moved to Hertfordshire in order to help my daughter with childcare so that she and her husband could continue to work in demanding but enjoyable jobs. Why did you decide to start volunteering? At first (when I retired), I felt very isolated as I didn't know anyone in the area except the young mothers in the mother and baby clubs. They were warm and welcoming but I did feel like a fish out of water. My lifelines were the Grandparent and Toddler group which ran at Letchworth under the Surestart initiative, and the French and German speaking groups run by the Letchworth Arts and Leisure Group. As my granddaughter and her little brother grew older, I started to use my newly acquired free time to volunteer for the Grandparent and Toddler group and to wash up at my local church luncheon club. I wanted to give back something after having gained so much from the local community. Covid has put an end to both of these volunteering activities but it has enabled me to take on new challenges. What do you do within your volunteer role/ roles? I am now the contact for two walking groups within the umbrella organisation of the Letchworth Arts and Leisure Group. We walk at least twice a month and this enables me to meet newly retired people and newcomers to the area, welcoming them just as I was welcomed. I have also been able to use my teaching skills throughout the pandemic. I help Herts Welcomes Refugees by holding weekly zoom meetings with a local Syrian family so that they can practise their English and I have become a school governor - again meeting on zoom. I was alerted to the need for action in both these cases by St Mary's Church in Baldock. I also volunteer for Barnardo's, who hold the contract for children's services in Hertfordshire. During the pandemic I have helped them assemble holiday craft packs for disadvantaged children. As the situation has eased, the Barnardo's volunteer co-ordinators have linked me to a family with English as a second language. I have helped this family to fill in application forms for a nursery place and enabled them to use English in play and story telling. We now meet outside in local playgrounds every week. My other delightful role for Barnardo's is helping at a Baby weigh clinic, I welcome mothers, check their temperatures, help with the administration at the clinic and make sure that everyone wears a mask and sanitises their hands! Why would you recommend volunteering to others? Volunteering has given me so much pleasure - it's added interest and challenge to my life: planning lessons and play sessions, talking to people whose life experiences are different from my own, using simple, practical skills and my professional knowledge of grammar and language teaching. I have made friends with other volunteers and I am never bored. I have met with a great deal of kindness and friendship from the people of Hertfordshire, it is very empowering to be able to return this goodwill. Volunteering keeps me young!

"You can get a lot of satisfaction from helping other people and making a small difference to their lives."

| Volunteer Stories

Tell us a bit about yourself Although past the state pension age I still work part-time in IT and I volunteer at Countryside Management Service (CMS). What do you do within your volunteering role? I help people access the countryside in a number of ways. This could be by clearing rights of way, installing kissing gates and building boardwalks. I also encourage biodiversity by, among others, clearing scrub, opening up areas of woodland, coppicing and tree planting. How long have you been a volunteer? 12 years Why did you decide to start volunteering? Changes in my desk-based job meant I had some spare time and I was looking for an outside role which would involve physical exercise, doing something useful for the community and have a social aspect. Why would you recommend volunteering to others? You can get a lot of satisfaction from helping other people and making a small difference to their lives at no cost to themselves. It’s also good for your physical and mental health.