A volunteer at a Bolton Christian charity has spoken about how volunteering at has improved his life – recommending other people to give it a go.

Matthew Longworth, 24, from Horwich, has been volunteering at CreateBolton for almost two years.

The charity uses the "arts in their widest sense to make a difference in peoples’ lives, to connect them to each other and to their wider community".

Before he started helping out at CreateBolton in February last year, Matthew experienced social anxiety, finding it impossible to leave the house and answer the door.

But after taking a leap and pushing himself out of his comfort zone to become a volunteer, Matthew’s life has significantly changed for the better.

Matthew said: “I was in a bad place before coming to volunteer at CreateBolton.

“In college I started with anxiety and depression, and I got over the depression but I was still suffering from anxiety, so I practically did nothing for five or six years.

“I was very anxious, I couldn’t even answer the door without shaking. I would just start shaking, and my aunt and uncle are good friends with Joy and Andrew, who brought CreateBolton to life, and they brought me into the café, and I just started from there.

“I started on Wednesdays, the first one I may have broken down in tears because I couldn’t find bread, but they have been great to me here.

“Before coming to CreateBolton I would sit at home in my bedroom, basically doing nothing but playing games all day.

“Not much has changed but I am outside a lot more now and I have a job as well as volunteering and it has helped with my mental health massively.

“I used to work in a pub just before I came here and I wasn’t quite there but recently I have started working there again and the difference is massive. I am so much better than I was, confident and chatty.

The Bolton News: Matthew Longworth, a volunteer at CreateBoltonMatthew Longworth, a volunteer at CreateBolton (Image: NQ)“Volunteering means a lot, I can’t quite put into words how much it has helped me, but it has meant a lot to me.

“There are a lot of people who come here because they are either in a similar situation as me or they are just lonely and it has helped them a lot too, that is for both service users and volunteers.

“People open up to you about issues in their lives which they wouldn’t normally do unless they trust people, and volunteers also volunteer for a reason too.

“CreateBolton is very much about a lot of people who come together and help each other out as well as helping the community.

“I wouldn’t be who I am now without CreateBolton because the difference in my life is huge.

“I can go outside now and just be myself instead of hiding away in a corner or just in my room, I don’t feel trapped anymore.”

Matthew said he recommends people to take part in volunteering as it makes a difference to residents across the borough as well as yourself.

He added: “I’d say give volunteering a go, it can’t go wrong. The people here are amazing and they are very welcoming.

“They all help, so no matter what situation you are in, we are all here to help. And if we can’t fix it, we know somebody who can and refer people on.

“I have made a lot of friends here, before it didn’t feel like I had many friends but now I do and CreateBolton has massively changed my life.”

Andrew Kilpatrick, lead officer at CreateBolton, said: “I can see as someone who knows Matthew’s family, that they have seen a huge change in him.

The Bolton News: CreateBolton teamCreateBolton team (Image: CreateBolton)“He wouldn’t be as socially communicative, he used to have his hood up all the time, and now in just under two years, he is chatty, cheeky and it is wonderful just from having the opportunity being treated right at CreateBolton.

“CreateBolton has played some part in Matthew’s development but at the end of the day the credit is Matthew’s because he has changed for the better.

“If anyone would like to volunteer at the charity, they can come into the café and we can get to know each other.

“Without the volunteers we would have to close, we just wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them, and we need that mix of youth and maturity.”

Volunteers at the charity are aged from 17 up to their 60s and everyone is welcome.

To find out more about the charity or for more information on volunteering, go to: https://createbolton.org.uk/

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.