Notes from a year
of volunteering...
by Katie Griffiths
I first got involved with the Staines, Ashford and Egham Branch when my daughter was about a year old. Around this time most of the friends we had been spending a lot of our time in her first year with went back to work. However, for a number of reasons, I chose not to go back. I suddenly found myself a stay-at-home parent and, without the regular play-dates and coffee mornings I found it a bit lonely. Full-time parenting a toddler is hard work, and I really missed having people to talk to who didn’t throw their food at my head if they didn’t like what I had to say. I missed the camaraderie of a group of friends going through the same things, and although of course we stayed in touch with friends, it was over whatsapp and the occasional catch-up, and it wasn’t quite the same for me.
During this time I happened to read an email from the NCT Branch mentioning that they had a vacancy for newsletter editor, and as I had worked in editorial in the past I thought that maybe try and help out if they found a new editor, at the very least I could proof-read some articles, and maybe write one or two here and there. I got in touch with Jenny, who was incredibly friendly and positive, and invited me to come to the Branch’s Pudding and Planning meeting.
At my first meeting I found myself, in between the drinking wine, eating pudding and general chat, agreeing not to help out the new editor but to become the new editor; and the new newsletter publisher. And also to become part of a team taking on the running of the branch's toddler group, NCTeenies. The whole committee was so welcoming, so positive and enthusiastic that they just made me want to get involved in any way I could!
When I got home I did briefly think “wait, what did I just do?” but actually I was excited to have new things to plan and get involved in. And although it sounded like a lot to take on, over the course of the last year it hasn’t taken nearly as much of my time as I was worried about when I got home that night, and the time it does take I really enjoy because it’s a chance to do something different.
Of course, it has been challenging at times: a few weeks after that first meeting I fell pregnant again with my second baby, and three months after that we were moved out of our house because the kitchen and bathroom had to be ripped out due to a water leak and some flooding. Amongst all this, getting the first e-newsletter published felt like a huge achievement, but the positive feedback we received really made it worth the hard work that went into it, and now it’s something I can be really proud to be involved in (and something I can add to my CV for the future!)
Equally, although NCTeenies has in the past year struggled for volunteer helpers, meaning that I have often found myself setting it up alone while my daughter tries to climb everything in sight; it has also helped me meet so many Mums and Dads in the area, given me a real sense of community, and been such great fun.
All in all, after my first year of volunteering I would say joining the committee has been the best thing I’ve done for myself since I had my kids: it is so good to feel involved in something again, to remember what it is to be myself, not just 'Mummy'; to use the skills I have, and even develop new ones. If you’re not sure whether to get involved, my advice would be: come along to a meeting, you don’t have to commit to anything but at the very least you’ll have a fun night away from the kids!
“Joining the committee has been the best thing I’ve done for myself since I had kids”
12
Megan enjoying Father's Day crafts at NCTeenies