In this National Volunteers Week, I was asked “Why do I volunteer?’”
Having been working full time for many years I dropped down to part-time but wanted to keep my brain active and also give something back. I considered several things but in particular, I wanted to use my skills, not to be tied to certain hours a month and, most importantly, to enjoy the work and the team I was volunteering with.
I first met Susan Oliver just before one of her various operations and we always chatted about the work that she was doing with the charity. When she knew I was finishing my contract she managed to persuade me to help out. My first event was on a conference stand in Paris for two days, when I tried very hard to avoid saying “pseudomyxoma” as I did not know how to pronounce it! I now know that it’s pronounced ‘sue-doh-mix-oh-muh pary-ih-ton-nee-i’.
As I do not have personal experience of PMP, I have taken on the role of treasurer and also support the fundraising efforts of our donors. In addition, I volunteer with Natural England at the local nature reserve which involves fencing, planting, land clearance as well as building bird and wildlife habitats. The two roles are very different but I love them both.
Other volunteering stories
How can you help us?
We’ve a number of things that we’d like help with at the moment and we’ll be putting together a fuller description of them all shortly. If you think you can help, please get in touch. If you think there’s something you could do to support those affected by PMP and appendix cancers that we’re not already doing, we’d love to hear from you!
Shining a light on our volunteers – Georgina
I’m keen to show my children that volunteering your time and energy is important and that despite my medical retirement I’m not giving up on my values.
Can you help us raise awareness of pseudomyxoma peritonei and appendix cancers?
This is a great opportunity to gain experience in a very small charity and develop your existing skills and learn new ones.