All hands on deck: Volunteering on a CARE Challenge

Image
CARE Challenge team and volunteers
Taking part in a CARE Challenge is not the only way to get involved in helping CARE. Every year, dozens of wonderful, friendly and kind folk volunteer to help us out on our events.

We can’t exaggerate the value of our volunteers- without their hard work, enthusiasm and generosity in giving their time, our events simply wouldn’t be the success that they are. And having volunteers on our events helps us to ensure they are as cost effective as possible, which translates directly into funds to support CARE’s work.

Our volunteers become part of the CARE Challenge Team from the moment they arrive, staying, working and partying alongside the team and all our participants.

Image
Hannah volunteering in 2008
Here we meet Hannah Young, an outgoing, fun-loving volunteer who joined us on our 2008 season. 

How did you hear about the CARE Challenge Series?

I heard about CARE the charity, and subsequently the Challenge Series, through the grapevine!  It sparked my interest straight away and I attended an informal meeting organised by CARE and another social group to find out more.


What made you decide to get involved?

I got involved with volunteering for CARE for a number of reasons.  I was looking for something to do with my time that would take me out of my comfort zone and would enable me to meet some new people and the fact that the Challenges covered parts of the UK that I had never visited was also very appealing.  The main reason however, was that volunteering seemed an excellent way to do something positive for a great cause without actually having to hike up 24 mountains in 24 hours myself – something which I definitely don’t have the stamina for!


How many Challenges have you volunteered on?

So far, I have volunteered on two challenges – once on the 3 Peaks event and once on the 24 Peaks event.  Both were very different but equally as enjoyable (although the mornings started much earlier on the 24 Peaks event!).


What were the highlights of your volunteering?

The one thing in particular that stands out in my mind, is my experience of being a marshal up a mountain in the Lake District at 4am – in the dark, drizzle and fog!  For a moment or two I did wonder what on earth I was doing there, but once all the teams had passed the marshals, the sun came out and we had a beautiful sunny day, perfect for the descent down the mountain through one of the valleys.


What did you get out of your participation personally?

An overall sense of enjoyment and satisfaction!  I loved every minute of my volunteering experiences; I met some great people who I hope I will be able to stay in contact with for a long time to come and I saw some beautiful parts of the UK that I’d probably never get round to visiting had it not been for the Challenges.  The thing I enjoyed most though was being part of a team – I’m self-employed and don’t have any colleagues, so working alongside such a great team of people was a fantastic experience.


Would you volunteer again?

I would most definitely volunteer again - in fact, I’ve got my name down for three events this year!  I’d love to do more, but work commitments make taking time off quite difficult.  I would recommend volunteering for CARE to anyone who’s not afraid to get stuck in!  It’s a very rewarding experience, but mostly, it’s just great fun!


CARE Challenge events require between two and five days’ volunteering per event. CARE covers travelling expenses and main meals are provided. If you are interested in volunteering on a CARE Challenge or would like to find out more, please do get in touch.
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

02079349470

 
 

CARE International UK Reg. Charity No. 292506. CARE International UK, 10-13 Rushworth Street, London SE1 0RB. Registered company limited by gurantee (England & Wales): 1911651. Website by Joomkit.

CARE challenge are an in-house charity fundraising team. We offer many exciting charity events that you can join. All our charity challenges offer amazing adventures outdoors and lots of our activities take place over adventure weekends. If charity runs are your thing, then we have lots to offer - 10K runs, half marathons and many other running events. Or, how about cycling events for charity? We certainly have lots to offer in the charity cycling department. There are charity rides where you can cycle London to Brighton or you can even do a charity bike ride from London to Paris, if London to Brighton isn't far enough! We also have some charity walks and hikes. Later this year we have a sponsored walk that is 25 miles long in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of CARE International's UK office. If activities outdoors and adventure weekends get your adrenalin pumping, then why not sign up for one of our mountain challenges? We have numerous charity challenges on mountains over the year from three peaks challenges to 24 peaks challenges - if you think you're up to it! For many of our charity fundraising events you can register as a teamleader or part of a team. We believe our charity challenges offer great teambuilding activities and are really great for team events. So if you're interested in corporate team building through a great charity challenge then the CARE Challenge Series is for you. Click here to see all our charity challenges.