To mark 2005 Year Of The Volunteer, These 3-Minute Wonders focus on four different volunteer workers in the UK, showing their selfless contributions to the lives of others.

The Boatman
By day, Bill Callahan is a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) at the Tower of London. But he is also an active volunteer lifeboatman at the Tower Hill RNLI lifeboat station on the River Thames. In this short film, with poetry by Owen Sheers, Bill talks about the challenges he encounters on the lifeboat and how this double life fulfils him.

The Street Rescuer
By day, Douglas Green is a commercial property consultant, and father to three young children, by night he is a volunteer rescue worker who drives the streets of London looking for the city’s homeless. Through the poetry of Clare Pollard, Douglas reveals why he spends his time helping people who have very often give up hope.

The Refugee Mentor
By Day Simonetta Wenkert is a novelist from North London, by night she is a volunteer mentor to Razaw, a refugee from Kurdistan. This intimate film, with poetry by Clare Pollard, reveals the close symbiotic friendship that has developed between these two women from very different cultures.

The Boxer
By day, Mick Delaney works in a builder’s merchants in West London. By night, he is head boxing trainer at Dale Youth Boxing Club. In this short film, with poetry by Owen Sheers, Mick talks about how his voluntary work has helped spread his passion for boxing to the younger generation on his estate, and created a feeling of community.