My name is Britt and I’ve been volunteering for Thrive for just over a year now.
For most of my career I’ve worked in marketing roles for technology companies. So when I decided to take a career break nearly 2 years ago, I wanted to put my marketing skills and experience to good use in a volunteer capacity but was keen to do this in an area that was very different from my ‘day job’.
I found the Thrive marketing volunteer opportunity on one of the national volunteering platforms and what initially attracted me was that Thrive is a charity local to me and social and therapeutic horticulture (STH) was something I’d never come across before.
I’ve always loved walking and making the most of being outdoors but my gardening skills left a lot to be desired. So I was hoping that by getting involved with Thrive, my fingers might become a bit greener too!
I really enjoyed the volunteer taster session I did at the Reading centre just before Christmas 2019 and was keen to start volunteering as soon as possible. I officially started last January, was able to enjoy probably about 6 weeks of volunteering in the office and then COVID struck and the Reading centre had to close.
Fortunately, the team got in touch with me during the first lockdown, asking if I’d be interested in resuming my volunteering duties albeit remotely. Of course, I said yes and in May last year was able to start volunteering for Thrive again.
Britt
Whilst I’m looking forward to the day when I’ll be able to see the marketing team in person again, I’m still really enjoying the work. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I get to ‘see’ the team most weeks and they have made me feel so welcome. I love the fact that I get involved in a wide variety of tasks – from building webpages and copywriting to finding out fun facts about reindeer and moss (!) – and am learning new skills along the way too (and yes, my gardening skills have improved a bit too!).
I also feel passionate about everything Thrive stands for and how gardening and spending time outdoors with nature can play such a key role in people’s well-being and their physical and mental health.
Thrive may be a small charity but it has a big heart and so much to offer and I feel very lucky that in Thrive I’ve found a team and a charity that’s such a great fit for me.
Find out more about volunteering at Thrive
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