GT Reading — Test 20

Reading passage

TEXT Text A — Riverbend Community Garden — Volunteer Growers Wanted RIVERBEND COMMUNITY GARDEN — VOLUNTEER GROWERS WANTED Riverbend Community Garden is looking for friendly people to help us grow vegetables for local food banks. No gardening experience is needed; our senior growers will show you everything on your first morning. Sessions run every Tuesday and Saturday from 8:30am until 11:00am, from March through to October. Please wear sturdy boots and bring a hat and a refillable water bottle. Tools, gloves and compost are provided free of charge, so there is nothing for you to buy before you start. We ask that all helpers commit to at least one session a fortnight, as the plants need steady care. Volunteers aged 14 and 15 are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult at every session. There is a small covered shelter where we take a fifteen-minute tea break, and biscuits are usually shared around. At the end of each month we hold a produce swap: helpers may take home a bag of whatever is ripe, in thanks for their time. We also run a plant-of-the-week talk during the break, where a grower explains how to look after one crop, so you gradually pick up real skills you can use in your own garden. To register, fill in the form at the garden gate or email Priya on [email protected]. We will reply within three working days with a start date. ———————————— TEXT Text B — Harbour Paws Animal Shelter — Dog-Walking Team HARBOUR PAWS ANIMAL SHELTER — DOG-WALKING TEAM Could you spare a couple of hours to walk a rescue dog? Harbour Paws Animal Shelter needs reliable volunteers to exercise the dogs in our care while they wait to be rehomed. Walkers are matched to a dog that suits their own pace, so both nervous first-timers and keen ramblers can take part. Before your first walk you must attend a two-hour training afternoon, held on the last Sunday of every month at 2:00pm. Here you will learn how to fit a harness, read a dog's body language and stay safe near traffic. The training is free, but places are limited to twelve people, so booking ahead is essential. Walks take place daily between 9:00am and 4:00pm. You choose your own slots through our online rota, with a minimum of one walk each week. All volunteers must be over 18 and able to provide two character references. We cannot reimburse travel costs, but a hot drink is always waiting in the staff kitchen. Waterproof coats in various sizes hang by the door for anyone caught out by the weather. Once you have walked with us for three months, you may also train to help at our weekend adoption days, meeting families who hope to give one of our dogs a home. Call 01772 660 4120 to book your training place. ———————————— TEXT Text C — City Library — Reading Buddies Scheme CITY LIBRARY — READING BUDDIES SCHEME Our Reading Buddies scheme pairs volunteers with children aged six to nine who need a little extra help with their reading. You will meet the same child once a week during term time and share picture books, comics and simple stories in a quiet corner of the children's section. Sessions last forty-five minutes and are booked in blocks of one school term. Below is the weekly timetable of available slots: Monday — 3:45pm and 4:45pm Wednesday — 10:30am (home-schooled children only) Thursday — 3:45pm Saturday — 9:30am, 10:30am and 11:30am All volunteers undergo a background check, which the library arranges and pays for; you will not be able to start until it is complete, and this can take up to four weeks. A short handbook and a friendly mentor will guide you through your first month, and you are welcome to sit in on an experienced buddy's session before you begin your own. You do not need any teaching qualifications — patience and warmth matter far more. Many of our buddies are retired, but we welcome anyone over sixteen, including students building experience for a future career with children. Refreshments are not provided, but there is a café on the ground floor. Ask at the main desk for an application pack, or download one from the library website under 'Get Involved'.