Day after day I would to squash into my 30cm2 spot against the wet window on the delightful, yet stinky Bakerloo line on my way to work. Being only 5ft, my head was generally stuck under someone’s armpit and I was buried beneath a sea of other people whilst trying to hold my newspaper open just enough so I could torture myself by reading that days atrocities. I would literally sob all the way to work, clearly, setting me up for a great day ahead!

After torturing myself for too many years, I decided to stop reading the newspaper, quit my job and do something more worthwhile. In previous years I had volunteered for a small charity in Temple Fortune called Tikun, feeding the homeless at a shelter in Finchley. I had taken part in their Light up a Life winter volunteering project and decided that this was the path for me. So, as luck would have it, they were looking for someone to organise that years Light up a Life, a whole week of volunteering activities that ran between 25th December – 2nd January.

Having never worked in this field before, I began researching different charities and what was happening in the volunteering world. I met people, I read articles, I watched films people made and I tried out every volunteering activity that I could do. I was inspired, I was shocked, I was humbled and most of all I was in awe of the kindness and goodness that people do on a daily basis, in all areas of the world, showing no judgment against anyone. I still wonder to myself why this isn’t what is reported in the newspaper? Two years later, I am just as humbled, in awe and generally blown away by people’s kindness. I learned some amazing lessons and in front of my eyes, watched people’s kindness inspire others, who inspired others, who inspired others and so it goes on.

I am blessed to still be organising all volunteering projects at Tikun and am so excited that this year’s Light up a life is the biggest yet! Last year we peaked at 47 volunteering projects and had over 350 people volunteer but have doubled this year with over 100 volunteering opportunities to choose from and can cater for every interest and available time constraint. Please come and be a part of such an amazing project and help us make it the biggest yet!

All details and sign up can be found at www.tikun.co.uk/lightupalife - I hope you can make it!!  xxx

Jo Hyams