Elodie’s Volunteer Diary: Feel-Good Festive Volunteering!

Hi everyone!

Recently I have been getting into the Christmas spirit with Accuro. I volunteered at two fun and festive Christmas events, Wreath Making at Touchpoint Day Centre in Stansted and the Santa Dash in Saffron Walden Town Square.

The first event was the Wreath Making in Stansted which brought people together to make their very own Christmas Wreath from scratch. For this event I assisted in some of the preparation leading up to the event, helping to put the gift bags together. This was a simple, calming, low-pressure task, but people really appreciate the effort when they received their gift bags, which was rewarding.

The actual event was over two days. Both sessions were a lot of fun, it was wonderful to see families and friends gathering together to enjoy making Christmas Wreaths. As well as being heart-warming, volunteering at the event also allowed me to develop my skills. I was in charge of selling raffle tickets which I have never had to do before which was a little nerve-wracking to begin with as I had to put my quick maths skills to the test! It pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit and I felt really proud of myself for doing it. This event definitely kicked off the feeling of Christmas-spirit for me!

Another event that was sure to fill anyone with Christmas cheer was the Saffron Walden Santa Dash, one of the best fun runs I have ever witnessed. I was a marshal on the course, cheering everyone on and making sure everyone knew where they were going. It was marvellous to see people banding together in Santa Suits to raise money and although the weather was far from perfect, the participants’ festive spirit was amazing, and it was an event sure to warm the heart. Seeing the mixed bag of people from sporty ‘grown-ups’ to energetic, excited young children and even a few cute dogs all giving the run their all. I also got to meet other brilliant volunteers who helped make the event a reality. The dash was truly a sight to behold. I’m so glad I was a part of it, helping cheer the Santas on.

Overall, these events were so much fun to be a part of and they were a great way to kick off the festive season.

This will be my last blog post of the year so all that is left to say is, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!