There is still time to help the homeless in our Christmas Appeal for charity Sanctuary, but of course the work doesn’t stop after the festive season.

Phil Wilde and Rachel Morfett are among the heroic volunteers helping those without a roof over their heads all year round, and their stories will help inspire others to back the cause.

Retired fire officer Phil started volunteering with Sanctuary – which runs services from Gravesend Methodist Church Community Centre in Wilfred Road, Gravesend – two years ago after working at Gravesend’s Foodbank with his daughter Emily.

Phil, 56, from Swanscombe, said he saw the amazing work Steve and Lorna Nolan were doing alongside the other volunteers and felt that he could make a small difference by giving just a few hours a week, listening and welcoming people into a warm, caring environment.

“It’s heartening to see the difference Sanctuary makes in the lives of our guests at this time of the year,” said Phil. “They come in freezing and hungry. They get a shower, change of clothes, hot meal and (most importantly for me) social interaction in the form of a game of chess, cards, or just someone with whom they can have a normal conversation without judgement.

“It’s in these conversations that Sanctuary, with its various connections, are able to ensure guests are getting the help they need.

“Volunteering at Sanctuary has made me realise that a change in circumstances or a couple of unwise choices can spin your life into a downward spiral. I’d like to think I have become less judgemental as a result of the opportunities the guys at Sanctuary have given me and for that I will always be thankful.”

Fellow volunteer Rachel Morfett has leapt out of a plane to raise money for Sanctuary, but her work on the ground at the charity’s headquarters in Gravesend Methodist Church has made an even greater difference.

Rachel, 25, from Gravesend, said she decided she wanted to help the town’s homeless people after seeing a need in the area, and is now in her second year of volunteering.

“As the temperatures drop below freezing, I put my thicker clothes on and have the heating on at home,” said Rachel. “Going out in a hoody, an old worn coat and shoes is not really an option. But Sanctuary is there when that is your only option! At Sanctuary no one is hungry, no one is cold, everyone is fed, everyone is clothed, everybody has a bed, everybody has a roof over their heads.

“The local authorities do support the guests on an individual basis. However, with the growing number of homeless we see each year here in Gravesend, which is said to be linked to affordable housing, the government are not doing enough. As long as there are people homeless and there is poverty in our society, then the government is not doing enough.

“During my time at Sanctuary, I have met many wonderful and inspiring people with little more than the clothes on their back and yet they still have a laugh and a conversation with me. Sanctuary has taught me to be thankful for the little things in life and that a smile or a conversation goes a long way.

“A guest asked me ‘Do you like working here?’ I replied ‘I don’t work here.’ Another guest said to him, ‘She’s a volunteer.’ I don’t believe that I’m a volunteer anymore. I am there because I want to be.”