February’s winner is Amy Gilham, Group Finance Manager at London & Quadrant. On 11th February 2016 a “Super Learning” Day was planned with Lammas School in Leyton. There was a last minute requirement for a volunteer as unfortunately fewer volunteers had come forward than expected, and Amy was more  than happy to step up to the challenge at such short notice, despite not having worked with the school as a volunteer before. The activity can sometimes be out of a volunteers comfort zone but Amy did an excellent job of delivering a workshop to a class on her own (whereas two volunteers usually deliver to a class), supported by teaching staff.

We asked Amy to tell us a bit about her experience of volunteering:

Why did you volunteer?
I wanted to give something back and get involved more in the communities that L&Q serve – this event suited my skillset in being able to pass on experience and tips to the young people at the school in presenting a business case for investment. I already volunteer in the youth sector, so this seemed like a great opportunity to get involved with something fun and worthwhile.

Why do you think volunteering is important?
Volunteering is vital to so many organisations that simply would not exist without it, but most importantly it’s a lot of fun for the volunteer! Volunteering has enabled me to make life-long friends over the years in other volunteer roles that I hold, and I have been able to supplement my CV with varied and exciting achievements. I’ve found that it provides many experiences that I am able to draw on and use in a professional capacity too, and it’s really rewarding to see progress and achievements that you’ve been able to help with.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and if so why?
Definitely – it’s an extremely rewarding way to spend your spare time and can open up so many new experiences and is a great way to give something back, whether it be for charity, for the local community of for any cause that you feel you want to give your time for. There are so many opportunities out there, so whatever you’re interested in – go and get involved!