Name: Rainbow Trust Children's Charity
Price range: $

Meet Julie, Care Team Admin Volunteer for the Central London team

Date published: 29 March 2019 by Anna Jackson

Meet Julie, Care Team Admin Volunteer for the Central London team who has been volunteering for Rainbow Trust since August last year. Here, she shares her volunteering experience.

I am 42, I live in South East London and have three children (5, 7 and 11 years old). Oh and two guinea pigs, which the kids promised to look after, I am yet to notice this.

Prior to having my children I worked in the City for 12 years providing admin support.

I love travelling and have been lucky enough to visit New Zealand, Cook Islands, Singapore and Cambodia within the last few years with the family. Unfortunately I really hate flying.

How did you first hear about Rainbow Trust and why did you decide to volunteer?

I first heard of Rainbow Trust whilst watching telethon. I thought the family support provided by the charity was so vital and obviously hugely appreciated by the families featured.

I decided to try and find a charitable organisation to volunteer for part-time, I had the free time and wanted to do something worthwhile. I remembered Rainbow Trust, looked at the website and the perfect admin support role appeared!

What do you enjoy most about your volunteering?

Seeing the ladies at the Central London Team every week. They have been so welcoming and kind. The team meetings are very interesting, sometimes a little hard to listen to, I have huge admiration for the work the team do.

I also enjoy working with new computer software, keeping my IT confidence levels up and engaging with others in a professional environment.

Can you describe a typical day volunteering and what it involves?

I travel up to Kings Cross once a week for the Team Meeting. Pop the kettle on if not already on and have a quick catch up with the team. I take the meeting minutes and type up. I transfer information from various forms completed by the team onto specific spreadsheets and systems. I check emails and complete other ad hoc tasks required. Then have another cup of tea and dash off to get home and collect the kids from school.

Do you have a particularly distinctive memory from your volunteering so far?

Sorting out presents for the children’s Christmas party was a great job, not really a job at all! It was lovely to think how happy the children would be.

If you were to meet someone who was considering volunteering for Rainbow Trust what would you say to them?

I really do enjoy working for Rainbow Trust, you meet lovely people who are doing great things and I enjoy supporting them in my own little way, it’s very rewarding.