My TCV story isn’t a long one, only 3 months long in fact and it starts with a fence.
“How am I going to help build a fence?” I exclaimed to my rather amused friend during my first week at TCV.
“You’re going to help build a fence? Outside? Don’t you work on the marketing team?” they responded whilst trying to suppress laughing at the thought of me doing any sort of woodwork.
But I did it. I dug holes, I sawed wood, I drilled nails, and strangest of all, I enjoyed it! The girl who pretended she was allergic to sawdust, so she didn’t have to do woodwork at school actually enjoyed building a fence!
It wasn’t about the fence though. It was the people who walked past and commented that they were glad we were making the site safer. It was the volunteers who I spoke to and worked alongside, who chatted away to me as if they’d known me for years. It was the Project Officers who encouraged me to get stuck in rather than standing at the back and letting the ‘real volunteers’ get involved.
It became clear to me that this wasn’t just a charity that I was working for, this was an organisation that has people at the heart of what they do.
I joined TCV at a special time, as I have been fully immersed in the 60th anniversary celebrations. The TCV 60th Anniversary Hero Awards has been a highlight of my short time here. Getting to meet the people who work tirelessly to help preserve our green spaces, who selflessly dedicate their time to helping others, and who have overcome obstacles in their lives to give back left me with a sense of pride to be involved with such an incredible organisation.
I’m not sure how long my TCV story will continue, but what I do know is that this charity has positively impacted my life and led me to take a look at what I can do to help protect and care for the community I live in.
When anyone asked me what I did for a living previously, my response would always be ‘I work in sales and marketing’ and that would be it. Now, I wax lyrical about the work TCV does, the people who we help and the lives we change. Everyone should know about TCV, and I am so glad that my job is helping that become a reality.