A WELL-KNOWN volunteer has hit out at a national animal charity after he was banned from working at its shop in Dursley.

For more than two years, Martin Stevens-Lee from Cam had worked at the Blue Cross shop in Parsonage Street once or twice a week but in October was told he was no longer welcome – without any explanation.

He asked for an investigation to be carried out into the issue but told the Gazette that the organisation would not inform him of its findings.

Mr Stevens-Lee, who worked as a caretaker at a social services centre before retiring, said that the way he had been treated was “unfair”.

“They can’t treat volunteers like that,” he said. “I’d worked there for two or three years every week and have now been banned and they won’t tell me why – it’s unfair. It is annoying that you give up so much of your time to support a charity which does great things and then you are told that you are no longer welcome.

“I’ve been told that I had no right to see the investigation’s outcome, despite me being the complainant – it’s totally wrong.”

Mr Stevens-Lee was part of a team of about a dozen volunteers who regularly worked at the shop.

Mark Corbett, head of retail and enterprise for Blue Cross, said that they were “satisfied” that Mr Stevens-Lee’s complaints were unfounded.

He said: “Our volunteers are extremely important to us at Blue Cross and their happiness while they are working for us is always a priority. 

“We have investigated Mr Stevens-Lee’s complaints with our manager and the other volunteers and – as we have explained to him – we are satisfied that they are unfounded.

“We have every confidence in our Dursley shop manager and volunteer team.

“We are grateful to Mr Stevens-Lee for all the time he has given to helping Blue Cross over the last few years, but unfortunately relations with him have broken down to the point that it is sadly no longer appropriate for him to continue volunteering in the shop.”

Mr Stevens-Lee is now dedicating more of his time to the other charity he volunteers for – Breakheart Community Project in Dursley.