She had learnt of the charity after visiting Thrive London in 2008 and had kept it in her mind for about 10 years until she was able to commit the time and offer her help.
In her working life, Hilary was Head of Membership and Business Development for the Chartered Institute of Building, a demanding role linked to the construction profession that was very much people focussed.
Hilary said: `For me, gardening is an absolute passion, there is hardly a day goes by when I don’t engineer the opportunity to spend even a tiny amount of time pottering in our small garden. It brings a balance to my life.'
Although some would say it’s the volunteer that gives, I would say it’s very much a two-way flow - Thrive and its clients are giving me much joy
With her love of gardening, Thrive seemed an obvious choice for Hilary as it offered the opportunity to work with people and she enjoys every minute of it: `Although some would say it’s the volunteer that gives, I would say it’s very much a two-way flow - Thrive and its clients are giving me much joy.'
Hilary hopes that by being an Ambassador for Thrive she can work with others to raise the profile of an extremely worthwhile organisation: 'In my experience it gives those with all manner of needs the opportunity to develop their confidence and learn new skills in a safe environment, hopefully enabling them to find their place in the world.'
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