Yesterday
marked the start of Volunteers Week. A week dedicated to thanking the millions
of people, like me, who dedicate their spare time to helping others.
Most of the
regular readers of this blog and people that know me will know just how much I
LOVE my charity work. It has enabled me to meet some amazing people and do some
amazing things. It has also helped me cope with losing someone who meant the
world to me. It provides me with a way of helping to make my mark on the world.
It keeps me entertained, it helps me learn new things, it helps me grow as a
person. I am massively passionate about beating cancer and helping those
suffering and I am very very honoured to be associated with a charity such as
Cancer Research UK.
Yesterday I
went to CRUK HQ and gave a speech to some of their staff. I told them about my
motivations and the work I do with my fellow Cancer Campaigns Ambassadors. It
was nerve-wracking but also very humbling! I really enjoyed the afternoon and
was made to feel very welcome!
One of the
best parts about being a cancer campaigns ambassador is being part of such a
wonderful team of inspirational people. One of my fellow ambassadors set up a
facebook group for us and since then I have made some wonderful friends. In
fact I have become so close to one of them that she has become one of my very
best friends and I can’t go a day without contact! We have all formed strong
bonds between us and we use the facebook group to share information,
campaigning tips and just general updates on life. We support each other
through loss, cancer battles, surgeries or just days when everything gets on
top of you. I can honestly say that it was the love and support of my fellow
ambassadors and the work we do that got me through the aftermath of Georgie’s
death and gave me strength to support my family through the worst pain
imaginable. I could focus on the work we do and seek solace and comfort in the
fact that whilst I couldn’t save Georgie, I can help to save thousands of other
people from meeting the same fate. Our work also means that Georgie and my
other five relatives are still very much a part of my everyday life and that
means so much to me.
I would
like to thank the staff of Cancer Research UK for being absolutely amazing to
me. Every single member of staff I have come across has made me feel welcome
and part of the team. The campaigns girls – Lizzy, Claire and Sophie – always have
time for every single ambassador which is no small task considering there are
over 150 of us! They answer our questions with thoughtful, detailed answers.
They send us messages of support at difficult times, they revel in our
successes and happy moments, and they commiserate with us when things are going
badly. They are a constant source of support for us all.
Tom and
Karen in patient liaison are wonderful. They are so busy but they find time to answer
my tweets and emails. They invited me for a lovely lunch with them and always
have time for me as a person as well as a volunteer as does Aaron, CRUK’s very
own social media wiz!
Iona works
in the volunteers department and she is just wonderful. She is kind and
supportive and it was brilliant to finally get to meet her yesterday.
I could be
here all day naming wonderful members of staff or other volunteers that have
touched my life in some way but I will try and keep this post short! My life
has been changed for the better by my voluntary work and I highly recommend
everyone with some spare time finds a way to give something back to the world. It
doesn’t have to be much; an hour a week would be plenty. There are so many ways
to volunteer and so many different charities rely on volunteers every year. You
could use that hour to make a huge difference to the lives of others across the
country or the world. I can promise you that knowing your work is helping people
is one of the best feelings ever.
So thank
you very much to Cancer Research UK for allowing me to be part of their
organisation and do some fantastic things.
Happy
Volunteers Week to every single volunteer out there, the work you do is
amazing!
xxx
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