Simon’s Story For Change
As part of our Stories for Change initiative, I decided to use my time to create an advert for St Petrocs homeless charity to encourage people to volunteer for them. I have been volunteering for St Petrocs for over 6 months, and have taken part in several fundraising challenges and events. I thought I could use my skills as a filmmaker to give them something that they wouldn’t usually have access to.
I wanted the volunteers to be front and centre so, I came up with an idea that would be simple to shoot within the timeframe and would showcase the amazing work they do for the charity. Throughout the project, I worked with the team at St Petrocs to organise the shoots and they helped me to source the volunteers and scout the locations for the advert.
I shot the advert in only two days. It was a great experience, especially shooting the beekeeper and the hives whilst wearing the beekeeping suit. I’m not a big fan of bees or wasps but it was a great experience. This involved walking calmly up the field for 20 minutes, whilst several bees tried to get through the suit! We had a lot of fun, from wafting smoke and lugging kit up several stairs, to navigating the small back streets of Penzance in the van.
It was also an opportunity to meet other volunteers and to hear their stories. I think St Petrocs is an incredibly important charity to support, especially at the moment with the cost of living crisis and homelessness on the rise. Whilst volunteering with St Petrocs, I’ve learnt that homelessness is not all about people sleeping rough on the streets – that’s only the tip of the iceberg. It’s a complicated issue that can affect anyone, and people’s situations can change very quickly especially if they don’t have a robust support network.
St Petroc’s mission is to end homelessness in Cornwall. At times it might seem like an uphill struggle. But, with the support of the community, local businesses and an amazing army of dedicated volunteers we can make mission impossible, mission possible!
To find out more and how you can get involved go to: stpetrocs.org.uk
