Wednesday 3 May 2023

Why helping out at the Fringe needn't be a biggie!

They don't blow up themselves... (credit: Sofia Huxford Rodriguez)

The King is encouraging community volunteering with The Big Help Out campaign but the beauty of volunteering at the Fringe is that every little helps and many hands make light work! We've been talking to one of our volunteers, Catherine, about how she likes to play her bit...

“I’m a ‘turn-up-on-the-day’ volunteer rather than a ‘lots-of-work-behind-the-scenes’ volunteer - that’s because I was looking for volunteering activities that were totally unlike my work-related tasks: so no screen-work and as few meetings as possible! Over the years, I’ve inflated countless orange balloons on Fringe Sundays, boiled numerous kettles to wash up after Fringe events at the Green Man Gallery, climbed many stepladders to hang Fringe bunting, improvised with buckets and brooms when storms threatened the Awards ceremony in the Serpentine marquee, and chatted with many a visitor to Buxton during stints on the Fringe Information desk.

Time-wise my commitment is a couple of evenings during the year to help with the spring/Christmas gatherings, and then a few days in July helping with Fringe Sunday, the Fringe information desk and the final Awards ceremony. There’s always plenty more that a volunteer could do but until I retire I'll stick with these few things!

Of course the Fringe wouldn’t happen without volunteers but the advantages work both ways: through volunteering you meet lots of people and get to know your town better, as well as being a small part in one of the best Fringe festivals in the country!”

We are so grateful to all our volunteers. If you think you might like to get involved, come and see us at our stand at the Volunteering Fair at The Pump Room, 10am-12noon, on Saturday 20th May, hosted by Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust. Or have a look at our website:
The whole town has lots of opportunities for helping out. For further inspiration see:

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe
Instagram: @buxtonfringe

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