Once you’ve finally got yourself all settled into your new spaces and friendships, you might be giving a little consideration on how to spend your spare time. Joining club and societies is a great way to spend time and meet new people, but so is volunteering! You can give as much or little time as you like and get involved in opportunities that really genuinely interest you. Over the past year I’ve been involved in various One Day volunteering events that let you give time when it suits you, on a day by day basis. You just pick events that look like your kinda thing and sign yourself up. I’ve found that this is the best way of volunteering for me because it’s so flexible and so so much fun.
My favourite event I volunteered at was the Hackney Half Marathon (check our rad team photo). We were a team of six volunteers from QM and Barts and led by our team leader, Steph, we were put to work on a water station that was a few miles into the race. We helped with the initial set-up, then once the race began it was a mad scramble to dole out water bottles to as many thirsty runners as possible. It was hilariously chaotic but SO much fun. Every single runner is so pleased to see you (unsurprisingly!) and we were all singing and cheering them on as they raced past us. It was such a fun, mad and heart warming day and we came away feeling like we’d really made a difference to the people racing – especially giving an extra cheer to those who were struggling or lagging behind a little. Seeing them smile or just push a little harder once we shouted their names was a real warm-fuzzy moment. Volunteering doesn’t necessarily have to be anything radically life-changing or monumental but it gives you a real sense of achievement for the day and you can make the smallest of impacts to each person you help.
I’ve included some info here on how to get involved:
Check out the QM Volunteering page to sign up and register your interest.
Then check out the different opportunities on offer here. These can range from helping at half marathons, food banks, the London Marathon itself to different charities and their events.
All the volunteering will be local, and alongside been super fun and rewarding, is a great addition to your CV and helps you learn lots of transferable skills. It’s a fab way to meet new people, make friends and leave a little legacy of making a little difference. I honestly can’t recommend more that you get signed up and stuck in.
Have fun!
-Meg
