Rota Manager

Although I have been retired for 15 years now, I still seem to be very busy. As I have been a widow for all that time too, I find it helps to keep busy otherwise I end up talking to the wall or watching too much TV. Apart from the weekly housework and gardening that needs doing,  I have joined choirs, do at least 3 gym classes a week, help out at the local foodbank and foodbank shop and also volunteer at our local park which is run by the Friends of the Park.

As for the latter, the volunteering has involved doing a two-hour shift on a weekend afternoon to open the information centre. We can sign up to do a shift once a week, or even once every two months - the choice is yours and there is no pressure to do it regularly. The public come in to buy food for the squirrels or ducks, or leaflets about the many things to see in the park - such as the different trees, ducks, herons or wildlife. We try to answer their questions too, so there is a lot involved.

Being the organisation freak I am, I had noticed that there was a definite lack of volunteers and the Chairwoman of the Friends committee was also in poor health, so I temporarily took it upon myself to advertise for more volunteers in a local Facebook group and devise a Whatsapp rota where volunteers could sign on to do shifts. I ended up chasing for volunteers where there were gaps in the rota and ended up putting up new rotas for each month about six weeks in advance. Everyone has come to expect me as the rota manager now.

Somehow, I have also got embroiled in noting what information leaflets need updating, by whom and how to get them printed. I held my first meeting this week to get together those who are rewriting those leaflets and the finance director who will inevitably ending up paying for the reprints. It was a very successful meeting and now my role will be to chivvy/nag them into meeting deadlines. There is no point having an information centre, if you haven't got the relevant information to give out.

I may have also stuck my neck out by ordering some merchandise - children's animal bedtime stories, skipping ropes and small toys connected with nature - to sell in the centre too to raise some more income. Without trying too hard, I almost have a full-time job keeping everyone on their toes and making the park information centre a success. I'm currently trying to chase up the people who used to do two bat walks a year, as that seemed to dwindle with the advent of Covid. As for the annual music festival in the park, that may be another task for next year. The Chairwoman has asked me to consider being on the committee. I have so far managed to stay silent on that one. I much prefer to do things in the wings rather than in the spotlight.

Some visiting black swans

Cherry blossom in the spring

A pair of Egyptian Geese and a Canada Goose

Mandarin Duck