ELBA was heavily involved in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, taking place east London. Here at ELBA we are about corporate volunteering and we like to practice what we preach, giving our own staff time off to volunteer. Former ELBA employee Deryl Thatcher, who worked at ELBA for 17 years, was the Programme Manager for the Hackney Schools’ Mentoring Programme (now Mentoring Works) back in 2012 and volunteered at the Opening Ceremony of The Games.

When did you join ELBA?
Back in 2003

What was your role and what did it involve?
I was the Programme Manager for the Hackney Schools’ Mentoring Programme (now Mentoring Works) at the time of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. I worked at ELBA for 17 years – on HSMP managing the programme that connected many schools in Hackney and many of ELBA’s corporate supporters through the mentoring programme.

Three words to describe yourself
Brings People Together

Tell us one thing that people may not know about you
I volunteered at the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For over six months us Opening Ceremony volunteers committed to long rehearsal days. Some of us are still friends to this day. So many rehearsals, first in Dagenham and then in the overwhelming stadium itself. I remember meeting Danny Boyle and how he was so present in the process. I remember the buzz in the holding area as we waited to be called, all wearing hidden head pieces. All for that one night. Watching it back later, I think we were all incredibly amazed at how it came together. I am very proud of the part we played. In addition to volunteering at the Opening Ceremony, I was a volunteer interviewing the Games Makers – the name given to of all us 2012 Olympic and Paralympic volunteers.

Tell us the best thing about working for ELBA
It was wonderful working at ELBA with its mission to support the east London community and the benefits the Olympic and Paralympic Games would bring to the area. Recently, walking through the Olympic park, it’s incredible to see how the area has changed and developed.

I now work at Hatch Enterprise [https://hatchenterprise.org/]. We support underrepresented entrepreneurs to develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to launch and grow a business. The knowledge and connections gained through working at ELBA prepared me well for my current role and many of the CSR and Community Investment leads I have worked with in both ELBA and Hackney Enterprise. East London is still my home, and I am known to gate-crash the ELBA Christmas party!

Name your favourite place in east London and why
Most recently my favourite place has become the Walthamstow Trades Hall, where people of all ages and walks of life mix over the pool table and on the dance floor. I even ran into ex-Elba colleague there! It’s the local place to be showcasing lots of interesting bands and events.

Complete this sentence ‘The absolute best thing about volunteering is….’
Getting to try things you wouldn’t normally do in your day job. I always loved matching corporate volunteers to Year 10 students as business mentors and hearing them say “it’s the highlight of my working week!”