Volunteer Profile: Zoe Rucker

Our volunteer profile feature returns, with another opportunity for you to meet and learn more about one of our volunteers.

This time it's Zoe Rucker - one of our writer and researchers who joined us at the start of the year. If you're one of our social media followers or email subscribers, you're likely to have seen us sharing some of the articles that Zoe has written over the past few months, which includes: No Kit, No Game. How clothing poverty is excluding children from sport and Below the breadline.

Here's a Q&A with Zoe where you can read more about her background and her role here at Clothing Collective.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

I’m a journalist and longform writer with a strong interest in social policy and lived experience. My background combines formal training with varied professional and personal perspectives, giving my writing both rigour and depth. I’m drawn to subjects that require careful research and thoughtful analysis, particularly where there’s a gap between public perception and reality. I’ve also valued contributing to projects at a formative stage, helping to shape both structure and voice as they evolve.

What inspired you to get involved with Clothing Collective?

I was inspired to get involved because clothing poverty is both visible and invisible. It’s present in daily life but often absent from mainstream debate. That disconnect matters to me. I’m drawn to causes that centre dignity and fairness, and this charity offers a way to use my skills to bring clarity and humanity to an overlooked issue.

What kind of volunteering work do you do here?

I volunteer as a writer and researcher, contributing to both the Insights and Blog sections. My Insights pieces are evidence-led and policy-focused, examining clothing poverty through data, government frameworks and structural analysis. In contrast, my Blog work allows for a more reflective, narrative approach — exploring lived experience and overlooked dimensions of need. Across both strands, I translate complex issues into accessible writing, support the charity’s advocacy and educational aims, and help shape processes and content standards as part of the early writing team.

What are you looking forward to most about volunteering with us?

I’m looking forward to continuing to deepen the work, building on the foundations we’ve laid down and contributing to content that has tangible impact. I value the opportunity to explore complex issues thoughtfully, while knowing the writing serves a practical purpose in advocacy and education. Being part of a small, committed team shaping something purposeful is both motivating and rewarding. 

How does volunteering fit into your life outside of the charity?

Volunteering sits comfortably within my broader life as a writer and parent. With significant personal and professional experience behind me, I’m more aware of where I can add real value and where careful, consistent contribution matters. It allows me to channel my skills into work that aligns with my values, while maintaining balance with family and other projects. It feels less like an addition and more like a natural extension of the kind of impact I want to be part of. 

Why do you think the work Clothing Collective does is important?

The work Clothing Collective does is important because clothing is a basic human need, yet it is often excluded from serious poverty discourse. By addressing clothing poverty directly — through advocacy, education and practical redistribution — the charity brings dignity, adequacy and fairness into daily focus. It challenges the idea that clothing is merely about fashion or choice, reframing it as a matter of equity, sustainability and social responsibility. 

What would you say to someone thinking about volunteering here?

I’d encourage anyone considering volunteering to get involved. The work is thoughtful, purposeful and grounded in real need. It offers the opportunity to apply skills in ways that feel both intellectually rigorous and socially meaningful. It’s a chance to be part of a team that values substance over noise and long-term change over short-term fixes. 

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

As the work develops, I’m looking forward to contributing to its broader reach and helping to build a trusted, evidence-led voice within the clothing poverty field. 

Has this inspired you to get involved and volunteer for us? Complete the form on this page and we can match you to any vacancies that arise.