Mark Drakeford was seen trying his hand at volunteering at the Barnardo's charity shop in Pontypridd on Monday. The first minister's visit came as part of the Big Help Out, which encouraged over six million people across the UK to mark King Charles III's coronation by giving up time to help others.
Around 33,000 organisations had signed up for the event which included some volunteers that were members of the Royal Family such as Prince William and Princess Kate alongside their three children. Mark Drakeford was also spotted doing his bit two days after attending the coronation ceremony.
At Barnardo's charity store in Pontypridd the Welsh Labour leader got to meet some of its dedicated volunteers, discover the behind the scenes work that goes into the charity shop and experience what it's like to work behind the counter.
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During his visit Mr Drakeford, who worked as a project leader for Barnardo’s in the Ely area of Cardiff over 30 years ago, revealed that on his very first day in the job his coat was accidentally sold in a community jumble sale for just 10p. "It wasn’t such a professional operation as here," he said.
The shop, which is located right at the heart of the Rhondda Cynon Taf town, has a team of 30 people who deliver an average of 160 volunteer hours a week. The charity shop's manager Cath Williams said it was "lovely" to have the first minister at their charity shop.
She said: "I am very proud of the shop and the team, so it was a really nice way to show off all their hard work. Our volunteers have had their own successes too, with some going on to become paid employees within Barnardo’s.
"We are very fortunate to have so many volunteers but we are always looking for more and there is no minimum requirement on time, some people come in once every couple of weeks for instance. We can find a task for everyone and if you have a hobby or interest, we’ll find just the right one for you. As Mark likes his books we’d be happy to find him a job sorting books if he wants to come back anytime!"
Following his visit Mr Drakeford praised the staff and other volunteers across Wales for their hard work. He said: “Wales has more volunteers than pretty much any part of the country and it’s good to draw attention to the incredible job they do, practical, everyday things.”
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