I recently had the immense pleasure of meeting with Max Pearl, a third year BSc (hons) Politics and International Relations student in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Max came to my attention following meetings with our neighbours at Bath Cats and Dogs Home (BCDH), where the staff couldn't sing his praises highly enough. It turns out that during his time at University, Max has carried out hours of voluntary work for the Cats and Dogs home, as well as for other local charities. I asked Max if he could share a bit about his experiences of volunteering at University and what drives him to get involved in the local community in Bath.
Max: "Since a young age, I’ve had to believe in the importance of giving back. At the age of 15, my school’s counsellor was responsible for my first mental health intervention, an experience that showed me the impact that just one person can have on the people around them. It’s in this same spirit that I’ve been volunteering with a local charity in Bath, letting me give back to the community that has provided me with this incredible education. The Bath Cats & Dogs Home (BCDH), which is the RSPCA’s Bath branch, is where I’ve been volunteering since my first year in Uni. It was a perfect fit for me, given that I love animals and owe a huge part of the recovery of my mental health to my 4-year-old cockapoo Bailey.
"I started off at the BCDH in early 2023 in their e-commerce department. I loved the balance; I was able to work alongside my Politics & International Relations degree and my paid job at The Westgate with a few hours of volunteering every week. It was a tiny time commitment in the grand scheme of things which had a huge impact on the charity’s operations – the BCDH still heavily relies on student volunteers to support their e-commerce department which brings in thousands of pounds every year to support the charity's work. 
"At the beginning of my second year the Cats and Dogs home began a refurbishment of its HQ and the e-commerce operation was moved into the city centre, so I transitioned into an animal-facing role that let me continue to volunteer with the charity alongside my studies. I would take dogs for walks in the nearby sports fields, and let them run around in the playpens we had on-site. This helped the dogs learn how to play and interact with humans, increasing their chances of being adopted into their ‘forever home’.
"I can also personally vouch for the amazing work that BCDH does rehoming its animals. During my second year, my flatmates and I rescued an abandoned cocker-spaniel which we found during a walk on the Bath skyline. We took the young pup 'Tabasco' into our home in Oldfield Park and looked after her until it was time to bring her up to the BCDH HQ, where the rehoming process began. She was an amazing dog, so she was adopted very quickly, and we’re told she’s never been happier than she is with her new family of three.
"It was around this time that I also ran the Bath Half Marathon for the second time, both times fundraising for the BCDH. Knowing how much the home relied on the generosity of fundraisers and donations, I ran a campaign to raise as much money as possible for the over 500 cats and dogs that are cared for, rehabilitated & rehomed by the charity every year. Fundraising also gave me the opportunity to spread the word about the great work that the Cats & Dogs Home does on campus with my amazing friend Iris (another Bath Cats & Dogs Home volunteer).
"Now that I’m on my placement year in London, doing Human Resources at a corporate law firm, I’ve realised how easy it is to engage with and support charities alongside a 9-5. I’ve been working with charities focused on social mobility, palliative care, asylum seekers, and young carers. My highlights have been volunteering with Mind at the 2025 London Marathon, organising an office quiz for Hospices Of Hope, and working with The Talent Tap, an amazing social mobility charity being run by a former Bath student that gives talented young students from incredibly underprivileged areas of the UK the opportunity to come into our office for work experience and grow their networks.
"I can’t express how easy it is to get into volunteering. Charities are so grateful for whatever support they can receive, which means that as a student, you’re almost guaranteed to have flexibility in how much or little time you put into your role. They’ll also completely understand when you need to roll back your hours over the exam season. You’ll be constantly surrounded by the most incredibly dedicated workforce, and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re really making a difference to people’s lives can’t be compared - there’s nothing like it."
When I met with Bath Cat's and Dogs Home recently it was made abundantly clear that the sort of support students like Max provide to the charity can make a huge difference not only to the animals being rehabilitated and rehomed, but also to the families who take on a new animal friend from the charity.
If you're a student at Bath and you'd like to learn more about volunteering opportunities available to you, your Students' Union has a wonderful volunteering team who can support you, help with finding opportunities and connect you to other student volunteers. Contact the team on volunteers@bath.ac.uk for more information.
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