YMCA Essex

Until this role, most of my career has been within the education sector. In 2018 I felt it was time for a change and was delighted to take up a new role working for this very special charity.

I knew of YMCA Essex’s work through being a room hirer first. Gradually I started to find out more and more about what the charity did and how important and valuable their work was, purely through using their premises and getting to know their staff. When a vacancy came up, it felt like a natural step to apply for the role, because I could see the passion that the staff had and I knew that I could be their person to help promote, advertise and share their good work in order to reach more people who need their services, so that we can all help make a difference.

Meeting new people on a daily basis who can make a positive life-changing impact on another person. Meaningful connections are really important to me.

The highlight of my role to date was when we organised a Skydive in May 2019. Having a large group of people, most of which who didn’t know each other, all join together for a shared goal, was an amazing experience. I should add that I wasn’t brave enough to do a skydive myself, but even just being a part of that moment, feeling the energy and excitement of everyone there, that was enough for me. I could stand back, see how everyone became instant friends throughout the day, knowing that we were raising money that would make a difference to our young people – if only I could I bottle that feeling! It really was a fantastic day and I hope we can organise another day like this again soon.

There have been quite a few things we have naturally had to put on hold this year due to the Coronavirus. What this has taught me is how special it is to be able to meet with people, all in one room together. I look forward to the day when I safely get the ‘go ahead’ to start organising more events and fundraising activities.