So I recently went through the interview process to be a volunteer at our local Citizens Advice Bureau.

The process went well and I was offered the role which entailed one full day per week in the local offices learning about the services and then, via much training and shadowing of others, working on the phones helping clients.

If you don’t know, the Citizens Advice Bureau is essentially a free service helping people with a myriad of issues – benefits, housing, care, debt, relationships, family, employment and our local branch took over 5000 calls in 2023/24 helping people address nearly 40,000 different issues.

When I was offered the opportunity I took a step back.  I’d been thinking that one-day per week was probably more than I wanted to commit to.

With a full client roster, a busy home life and the commitment I’ve made to slow things down, have more open time, be less full-on, how would that fit?  Well, it wouldn’t.

So I explained that.  And here’s what’s interesting and may be of value to you.

Asking what else I could do to contribute if I couldn’t commit to the office-based volunteering, I was quickly put in touch with the Chair of the Board of Trustees.  They were looking for someone with my skillset.  Comms, Events, Marketing etc.

After a robust but fairly speedy interview process I’ve been appointed – subject to checks from the financial bodies involved in Charities – on to the Board of Trustees.

I went along, somewhat apprehensively, to their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday and met so many lovely people who were so inviting and pleased I’d joined – and I was only confirmed on Monday… crikey!

If I hadn’t pushed back and then asked “what about?” or “what else?” none of that would have happened.

So , do consider these ‘push back’ questions for your own opportunities…

• What else could I do to contribute?
• Where else could be my skills be of value?
• If I can’t commit to X then how would it work to commit to Y?
• Rather than just walk away, what ideas do you have which could work for us both?
• What would you do if you were me and wanted to be involved? 

As ever, I write this to you to inspire you or to give you another string to your bow when going through a process and hitting a wall.  Never totell you what to do, more to encourage you to think more broadly sometimes.  

Just because you’ve gone for X role, opportunity, project – it’s never all that there is.  BUT, you do need to ask and be flexible…

Or in someone else’s words…

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And in other news…

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Snowy and I were invited to a birthday celebration at a ‘surprise’ venue.  The only brief was ‘Black Tie and no high heels’.  Ok then.  After much speculation, we went to an amazing dinner on HMS Belfast.  A warship which has been moored near Tower Bridge for nearly 50 years…oh my goodness.  To imagine being on that ship with 1000 crew for months at a time was somewhat staggering 😵‍💫.  We had dinner in the Admiral’s Quarters which was a bit different to most of the ship comfort-wise!