Newbury's Scope charity shop volunteer, Peter Moss, goes the extra 90 miles for his job

A CHARITY shop volunteer certainly goes the extra mile for his job. In fact an extra 90 miles, as he travels from his Trowbridge home to Newbury's Scope charity shop.

And amazingly Peter Moss, 66, makes the trip – which takes almost three hours each way on public transport – five days a week.

Mr Moss, who has cerebral palsy, used to volunteer at the shop in his home town, but when it closed the manager offered him a role in Newbury, which he accepted.

“I absolutely loved volunteering at the Trowbridge shop and made many friends," Mr Moss explained. "I was sad when I was told it was closing.

“I was made an offer I simply couldn’t refuse, to join the brilliant team at Newbury.

"When I walked through the door I was given such a wonderful welcome, I couldn’t have been made to feel more at home. That memory will always stay with me.

“They say I go the extra 90 miles a day for my job, but when you work with such lovely people, and get to know our great customers, the thought of knowing you’re helping Scope raise funds for the vital services that support disabled people and their families, I’m the one who gets so much satisfaction.

“You don’t need to go the full 90 miles, but I do recommend volunteering to anyone who has a few spare hours. You’ll find you get so much back.”

Now each morning, Mr Moss catches the 8.06am train to Bath, where he changes on to the Reading train. He then makes his way to platform 8 for the 10.02am Paignton train to reach his final destination of Newbury at 10.20am.

He then has a 20-minute walk to the Scope charity shop in Northbrook Street – a morning commute of just over 45 miles. And at 5pm he does it all again as he heads home.

Newbury shop manager Lorraine Smith said she knows the shop is in safe hands when Mr Moss comes to volunteer, as he looks after the till, makes sure the shop is running smoothly and always takes time to enjoy a chat with the customers.

Volunteers' Week, which runs until Monday, has given the shop the perfect opportunity to say a huge thank you to Mr Moss.

She said: "Peter has cerebral palsy and knows how important his role is, as a volunteer, to help our shop raise funds that enable Scope to provide vital support for disabled people and their families.

“Every day, Peter lights up the shop with his can-do attitude and his smile.

“Apart from going the extra 90 miles a day to volunteer in our shop, what really makes Peter standout is that he is so good with the customers. He can engage with any age group and has made a lot of friends both in Scope and in the Newbury community.

“Peter is an absolute asset to our shop. I have the utmost respect and admiration for his dedication to work and for the effort he makes for his colossal daily commute."

She also urged anyone who would like to find out more about joining Mr Moss as a volunteer at the shop to pop in for a chat or visit the Scope website for more information.

The Scope charity shop is based at 3 Brook House, 60-62 Northbrook Street.