Faheem's story

Born in Pakistan, Faheem at the age of 17, came to Britain with a temporary work permit, looking for a better life than the one he had in Pakistan. He was issued with a British passport and soon started working for Poundland in one of their warehouses. Faheem was gradually promoted and after 14 years with the company, was finally working as one of their shop managers.

However in 2014, life took a devastating turn and the Home Office confiscated his passport and Faheem finally ended up in a detention centre, waiting to know what the future held for him. He was unable to return to Pakistan as the authorities no longer had any record of him on their database. Eventually, he was released from the detention centre and told to wait for a court hearing to determine his fate. Faheem is still waiting for a court hearing, 11 years later.

He has received help to survive from friends and local charities but it has taken its toll on his mental and physical health.

Eventually he decided to volunteer and tried various different roles before seeing an advertisement for volunteering at the Thames Hospice Langley store in 2020.

Faheem explains: “I was spending a lot of time at home and felt I had to get out more and meet new people.

“When I started at the Langley store, I was struggling with anxiety, stress and depression as I looked to cope with a life of living in limbo and not knowing how to make ends meet.

“The support the Langley team have given me has been overwhelming. Each member of the team is so friendly and caring. Volunteering here has given me a new lease of life and my health has improved significantly. I feel like I’m part of a family, an amazing family. They have saved my life and have given me a reason to keep going.

“From the very first day, I was made to feel like I was part of the team. It is an amazing environment to work in, so friendly and sociable.

“I love coming here. I slot into whatever is needed from me, whether it’s sorting donations, putting stock out, working on the till or making cups of tea.”

Jonathan Kirby, Langley Assistant Shop Manager, added: “Faheem is an integral part of the team here now and his support is invaluable. His retail experience has helped us enormously. He is always willing to do what is needed in the store. He has become such a support with helping out with our new volunteers - spending time with them, showing them what to do, chatting to them and making them feel welcome. We’d be lost without him.“