Malene’s story: Volunteering at Back Up

7 December 2016

Future

I first heard of Back Up in 2011 when my company chose it as our corporate charity. We’d not previously had a corporate charity so we were all very excited about helping out. We held regular fundraising events but I decided that I wanted to get more involved with Back Up. I had thought about volunteering in the past but life always got in the way, as it does for a lot of us. I also wanted to find a smaller charity where the help they receive makes a bigger impact so I started volunteering in the office during my holidays. The first thing I do now when our holiday request form is released at work is look at the Back Up calendar so I can book time off to help out at the major events and buddy on courses.

Choosing which charity to work with is difficult as there are so many deserving causes out there, but I honestly couldn’t have made a better choice. All the staff members are so passionate about what they do and the atmosphere in the office is so great that when I’m there it doesn’t actually feel like I’m working. I have made some great friends at Back Up and I genuinely look forward to coming to the office to help out.

I was asked to join the Back Up ball committee 2 years ago after having attended my first ball. There was never any doubt in my mind as to whether I would accept. When I was there as a guest, I had no clue about all the work that goes into planning the ball to make it such a success. The evening runs so smoothly and this is down to the fantastic team of staff and volunteers that look after everyone on the night and,of course, the work the committee has put in prior to the event.

It truly is one of the highlights of my year and I’m not just saying that because I’m part of the committee. I love seeing people get together to celebrate the fantastic work Back Up is doing, catching up with people they’ve met on courses, receiving well-deserved awards and generally just having a great time together. My favourite part is when the awards are handed out. The look of surprise on people’s faces when they realise they’ve won is fantastic, no one ever assumes that they are the one who will win it as none of us are doing this for the glory. We do it because we love it.

If you are interested in being part of the team that organises my favourite event of the Back Up year, then I would recommend you speak to the Major Events team about applying for a position on the committee. You will get a chance to be involved in choosing the theme, sourcing auction prizes and – best of all – you get to be part of the team that helps make sure the event runs smoothly on the night.

I will continue to help out in the office leading up to the major events and buddy on a course for as long as Back Up will have me. I have well and truly been bitten by the Back Up Bug!

If you would like to apply for a position on the ball committee, please email Isabelle (Isabelle@backuptrust.org.uk). We’re also excited to announce that our early bird tickets are on sale now! Click here to get your £65 early bird tickets for next year’s ball, November 11 2017.