I have been volunteering with the MND East London Group for three years. My background is in marketing and public relations and I wanted to get involved with a local charity in a voluntary capacity to put ‘something back into the community’ in my spare time.
After reading an article in my local newspaper about the MND East London Group requiring help, I got in touch.
Newsletter editor
I am editor of our newsletter which is circulated twice a year to local people living with MND and their carers. My role includes sourcing relevant news items; writing and editing this information; planning and proofreading the layout in Microsoft Word templates supplied by the MND Association. I then circulate the draft newsletter by email and post to volunteer members of our group as well as the MND Association for approval. Any feedback is collated and amendments are made where necessary. I then email the document to the printing company who kindly reproduce the number of copies that we require for free and their support is acknowledged in our newsletter.
Website founder
I was also responsible for setting up the first local website last year that our Group had but since we enlisted the help of another volunteer, Kevin, a website specialist, I handed over the ‘reins’ to him. I now monitor the content of the website and liaise with Kevin who actions any changes or new information such as uploading the latest newsletter.
Keeping in touch
Everyone in our small Group works remotely but we meet every couple of months to keep in touch and discuss any issues at MND Association or local level including fundraising initiatives.
What I like most about my volunteering role is the creativity of putting together a newsletter, using my IT skills and being involved in communicating useful information to people who need it.
Get involved
