Archivist Angela, Translator to Historian
When our volunteers first approach VAST, they first often imagine helping at food banks, supporting community groups or lending a hand at a charity shops.
For Angela Pataki however, her journey into volunteering began with a spark of inspiration, translated into a meaningful opportunity.
By day, Angela works full-time as a professional translator, though she was eager to explore a completely new field in her free time. Curious about historical archiving, Angela reached out to VAST to discover local opportunities aligning with her archiving interests.
Balancing a full-time career with volunteering isn’t easy. “Because I work full time, I needed to organise myself very well” Angela explained. Knowing she could only commit to Saturdays, it was important for us to find a placement that matched her availability. After an initial meeting with our Support Officer Emma, Angela was introduced to Rebecca Stoke-on-Trent City Archives for micro-volunteering (small impact, but flexible opportunities).
It was a perfect match!
For the past six months, Angela has been involved in researching administrative history, diving deep into archival records, gaining hands-on experience in a field completely new to her. Although Angela had volunteered before, this was her first time in archival research – requiring an entirely different set of skills and ways of working.
She admits it hasn’t always been easy, but the effort has been worth it. For her, volunteering has been an opportunity to contribute to local heritage and history. It’s created space in her week to grow and enjoy new, fun experiences.
"Volunteers can have fun, they can be useful for others, and they can learn new things."
Stoke-on-Trent’s volunteering opportunities have the power to open new doors, generate solutions and enrich individuals; as well as the communities they serve.
Angela’s micro-volunteering journey has opened space for something rewarding and meaningful for herself and others. She has cultivated her inner historian, combining personal interests with meaningful contributions to many generations of Stoke-on-Trent to come.
Thank you to Angela for all her diligent documenting and proud contributions to the community.
Fancy donating an afternoon for a cause you care about?