Meeting volunteers: the best bit of my job

It’s been a week of whizzing around Wales meeting the wonderful individuals who volunteer as fundraisers for Save the Children.  Without a doubt meeting volunteers is the best part of my job.  Their dedication and commitment awes and inspires me.

I started the week in West Wales meeting with a woman who is interested in the possibility of establishing a supporter group in Aberaeron.  We had a lovely chat and then I wound my way down the coast through Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire to Haverfordwest where I met with another wonderful woman who is known locally as the ‘Daffodil Lady’ because she picks and sells daffodils around the town to raise funds for Save the Children.  However the ‘Daffodil Lady’ also sells unwanted or slightly damaged stock, which has been donated by a local shop, at car boot sales and markets around Pembrokeshire.

Mid-week found me being entertained by Aber Valley Male Voice Choir and Cwrt Rawlin Junior School at Caerphilly Branch’s fundraising concert at St Martin’s Church, Caerphilly.  The concert was well attended and has raised almost £1,500 for Save the Children.  The evening was really good fun with the Male Voice Choir performing everything from Welsh favourites such as ‘Bread of Heaven’ to Elvis Presley, and Abba!  The Junior School children were a big hit too particularly when the entire children’s choir took to the conductors’ podium to conduct the Male Voice Choir in their final number.  The concert was attended by a number of local dignitaries as the Lord Mayor of Caerphilly, Councillor Anne Collins has kindly nominated Save the Children as her charity for her year in office.

At the end of this week I met with our Porthcawl Branch for a cup of tea and a chat to discuss fundraising ideas for Save the Children Week.  We also chatted about ways that they might celebrate Save the Children’s 90th Anniversary including a possible pub quiz with 90 questions.

I then headed off down the M4 to meet with our Swansea Branch for lunch where they told me that they are planning to donate over £15,000 that they’ve raised in their 50th Jubilee Year to Save the Children’s project in Kingsville, Liberia.  This is wonderful news as we urgently need donations to fund the vital health and education projects in Kingsville which are saving children’s lives and offering children the opporunity to fulfil their potential and build a new future following 14 years of civil war in Liberia.

A big thank you to all our volunteers in Wales.  You, like us, know that millions of children around the world are desperate for change.  11 million children die a year from hunger or preventable diseases.  77 million are out of school, denied the chance of a better future.  You want a better future for children worldwide and you are helping us to make that a reality.  Thank you.