What inspired you to sign up to be a volunteer?

I first signed up as a volunteer originally for the ‘City of Culture 2021’, in June 2021, and attended the
induction on the 18th of June 2021 at the ‘George Elliot Building’ located on the Coventry University
campus, having seen this posted on social media, Facebook, and decided to sign up straight away.

I had been following the City of Culture from the very beginning since 2013, when it started in Derry, Ireland, and following on to Kingston upon Hull in 2017 and was awarded to Coventry on the 7th of December 2017, and started my City Host volunteer journey in 2021, signing up for ‘City of Culture 2021’, as a City Host volunteer.

I had previously been invited to an event at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry for a media event in 2015,
creative media forum group, that took place each month, and we were invited to offer our individual creative services for the City of Culture, this would be for – Printing, design and production of booklets and posters etc, design of the branding, uniform design, this was on behalf of the bidding committee for the City of Culture, and contribute our design, production services, included as part of the City of Culture bidding processes, and as a result thought that I would love to be involved in some way, if Coventry won the honour of becoming the next UK City of Culture for 2021, and amazingly Coventry won and the announcement came in 2017, I decided immediately to get involved in some way from that moment on.

In 2019 I had been attending ‘Slimming World’, having suffered a period of very poor health, high blood
pressure and severe weight gain, was referred ­to Slimming World by my local Health Centre, and started Slimming World as a medical referral of the NHS.

As my health recovered, having lost 6 stone, I started to regain a new lease of life and looking and ready for a new challenge. I then found the advertisement for the City of Culture, on Facebook, as I had been waiting for a chance to participate, this was exactly the wright new challenge and beginning that I had been looking for, a chance to make a difference and contribute and be a part of a great event and life changing once in a life time experience, so I did not hesitate and signed up straight away!

I am a Graphic Designer, graduated in 1998, obtaining a BA with honours in Graphic Design from Coventry University, School of Art and Design, and my Postgraduate certificate with Merit in Business Enterprise in 2010 – Coventry University.

I have a passion for the Arts and all cultural and community based events and activities – Theater, Art exhibitions, public Art, dance, Architecture, and as part of my work as a Graphic Designer and in running my own small design practice, ‘Creative Graphic Solutions’ started in 2009, have worked in collaboration with many Art institutions, theater, and community groups and charitys, with marketing and design, and I am a great
believer and have seen how the Arts can bring real change, inspire and help grow and shape societys in many positive ways as a result felt that I could contribute and bring my own professional experience,
expertise, passion and love for the Arts and community development through the Arts as a contributer to the ‘City of Culture 2021’, if not in a design capacity, or in some other capacity, possibly as a volunteer.

The chance and opportunity came to be a volunteer so I decided to sign up for the ‘City of Culture 2021’, as a City Host volunteer, and was delighted and excited to be excepted as a City Host in 2021, and attended my induction in June of 2021.  I have now been a volunteer for 2 years this June, best decision I ever made, and have continued with my journey as a Coventry volunteer for EnV.


What have you gained from your experience volunteering so far?

I have been a City Host volunteer now for nearly 2 years, stating in June 2021 and progressed from a City of Culture 2021/22 volunteer to being part of the ‘EnV Collective’, and continuing my role as a volunteer.

I have been involved in so many different activates, events, exhibitions and out and about in Coventry ‘City Roaming’ handing out promotional material, flyers, booklets and meeting and greeting members of the
general public at exhibitions at the various venues and attractions on offer for the many visitors to Coventry, and regularly contribute updates and reports on each of my shifts scince beginning in 2021 and post on the City Host Facebook platform, photographs included.

The huge variety of events that was on offer as part of the City of Culture 2021-22, exhibitions, shows, street art and theatre, including representing all the diverse and multi cultural communities that make up the City of Coventry, and the continuation of these events and activities, cultural, historical, education and industry, that are an integral part of this amazing and complex City, with its rich diversity and perhaps unique in many ways.

I have gained from my time and participation, and continued participation, as a City Host/EnV volunteer, so many different things –

* Meeting and making new friends and new social life

*Increased confidence, becoming a Team Leader 

* The privilege of meeting people from all the many different and diverse back grounds and cultures, in and around Coventry

* Being able to introduce visitors to Coventrys many rich and diverse traditions, history and culture that Coventry as to offer.

*The privilege of being able to represent the City and contribute to the promotion of its amazing complex and diverse history and influences, not only in the UK, but world wide, through eduction the Arts and commerce, ‘Art & Industry’

*Being able to help people and my fellow volunteers

*The discovery and development of new skills, and in refreshing my already established skill base, the delight of diiscovering new skills.

Being able to further develop my skills and how these can be used and applied, increasing my
communication skills, being able to deliver a more effective service and how these new developed skills can be of use and have application going forward, hopefully developing very real benefits for many of the various and diverse local community groups and organisations that we volunteers help support, through being volunteers for Coventry.


What has been your most memorable or favourite moments of volunteering so far?

Meeting and making new friends, the events, coffee mornings great for a catchup with fellow volunteers.

But mainly the chance to make new friends, and the amazing support I have received from all the volunteers,
also the awards, I proudly achieved my – Bronze, Silver and Gold awards, badges as a show of appreciation.

Chance to offer support to other volunteers, and I have grown in my role as a volunteer in so many ways, learning personaly from others, from all the many diverse cultures and those from different backgrounds.

And the amazing events and shows, concessions given as a bonus, ‘The Festival Gardens’ and the ‘Real Store’ – ‘Machine Memoirs’ and most recently ‘Frida Kahlo’, two amazing exhibition experiences.
‘Daniel Lismore’ exhibition featured at the ‘Herbert Museum and Art Gallery’ were incredible experiences and acted as an additional bonus to my volunteering experience, and the wonderful ‘Coventry Cathedral’, old and new, of which I based my dissertation on while at University.

Describe your experience so far in one word?

Amazing!