Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘I was so hurt after charity shop told me I’d been fired’
An Ashford woman has spoken out about her disappointment after being fired from a town centre charity shop.
Joanne Veryard, 30, of Boxley, had been volunteering in the PDSA charity shop in Ashford town centre from December 6 last year.
But just two weeks later she received a phone call from the manager telling her not to bother coming back.
She said: “She told me she had heard I was untrustworthy and a thief and not to come in again.
“I was really hurt. I’m a caring person and I would never steal anything.”
Joanne, who has had epilepsy since birth, suffering up to 13 fits a day, brain damage and slight learning disabilities, has been a volunteer for nearly three years.
She had moved to the Ashford New Rents charity shop, which supports sick pets, for a change of scenery, having volunteered at Ashford Sense for more than two years.
Her mum Denise, 62, said: “I’m so angry. They wouldn’t say where these rumours had come from – and it was all completely untrue.
“We complained to head office and it has taken weeks to get so much as an apology from PDSA and even longer to get it written.
“They can’t just go around firing people on unfounded rumours. What about Joanne’s reputation?
“She did absolutely nothing wrong but just got this phone call out the blue, all based on rumour.
“Joanne has been in and out of hospital her whole life but volunteering has been great for her. She’s learned how to deal with customers and staff, and it has done wonders for her confidence.
“But the upset and stress caused by all this and that awful phone call has completely knocked her confidence and she’s finding it hard to trust people again.
“This could have kicked off her fits all over again.
“I just think it’s wrong. She has had a rough life as it is – I don’t want it though her adult A spokesman for sick pet charity PDSA said they carried out an internal investigation into the matter.
He said: “We can confirm that we received a complaint from a former volunteer and carried out an internal investigation into this matter.
“It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to share the details in public but we will be speaking directly with the complainant regarding the outcome.
“As a charity, PDSA runs 51 Pet Hospitals and a network of high street shops throughout the UK and we have more than life as well. There should be some sort of organisation somewhere that supports volunteers, because we have just been left in the dark about the whole thing.”
Joanne, who has now returned to volunteer for Sense, in Park Mall, said: “I wasn’t even given a chance to defend myself.
“I’m not lazy and I want to work. I should not be treated like that. It is really upsetting.”
What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk 4,000 volunteers, whose contributions are greatly valued. They provide support to help us treat 470,000 sick and injured pets every year.
“We want all our volunteers to enjoy their time with PDSA and have processes in place to ensure positive and rewarding experiences.”
‘She has had a rough life as it is – I don’t want it though her adult life as well’