Young volunteer impressed staff at Elsecar Heritage Centre

Marisha, aged 18, started volunteering with Elsecar Heritage Centre in November 2025. It’s been a pleasure to work with Marisha and see her grow in confidence within our volunteer group. Marisha was directed to Elsecar by The Young People’s Volunteering Service at Barnsley CVS.

Marisha is a fantastic, hardworking young person, she has excelled during her time at Elsecar. She has worked hard at any job from litter picking, painting, sanding benches to removing invasive weeds, to creating dead hedges and weeding. She has worked with other people from retired volunteers to people with learning difficulties welcoming them to the group and becoming a proactive and dedicated member of the team.

Every member of the team is impressed with Marisha’s determination and abilities; she has been a treasure to work with. Marisha will continue to volunteer with the team during her second year of college; however, she is determined to achieve her driving skills to help her when applying for apprenticeships in her chosen career. When Marisha starts her next chapter, the team will wish her well for the future and will miss her as a great personality and member of the group.  

Marisha is working towards achieving a police apprenticeship while continuing with her Barnsley College Public Services course to take her forward into a career in policing.

Marisha Royston: “When I first started volunteering, I didn’t know what to expect, I was interested in meeting new people and making new friends. I’ve had lots of new experiences and it’s been fun. I’ve enjoyed the weeding tasks as it was something that interested me, and I always felt welcomed and included within the wider group. I feel like I’ve really helped the community while learning new tasks like litter picking and helping the local environment with dead hedging.”

Gemma Firth-de Laci (Elsecar Volunteer Co-Ordinator): “Working with Marisha has been brilliant; I have been so happy to work with Marisha and develop her skills. Throughout our sessions, Marisha has been involved with a varied set of tasks, and her work ethic has shone through, the volunteers have been so impressed with her hard working and kind nature. Marisha has been a pleasure, she has always given more than 100%, her confidence has grown and she has been a brilliant asset to our group. We wish her all the luck in the world for her future ambitions.”

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