ABC Wednesday - U is for...

...Uniform

I haven't worn a uniform since leaving school (mumble mumble) years ago except for one brief period, when I volunteered at the Special Olympics in 2003 in Dublin. The company I worked for at the time was the main sponsor and pledged to provide 1,000 volunteers for the event from its own workforce i.e. 1 in 17. Here in the UK we'd been getting pretty fed up of hearing about all the marvellous things people were doing in Ireland without us having even a whiff of the action. So we were mightily pleased when it was announced just before Christmas 2002 that the company would fully sponsor 10 volunteers from the UK (1 per subsidiary company or section) to go and work for 10 days at the main event itself.

There was a scarily long form to fill in - a bit like the one for The Apprentice, so I submitted mine and thought nothing more of it. In the new year I got the special phonecall from HR to say I'd bagged the Central Operations place - whoopee! The other winners were announced shortly afterwards and we had a few months of excited e-mailing amongst ourselves, particularly to voice our concerns over the lack of speed re our police criminal records check. We actually missed the deadline for clearance by a few days, but luckily we still got to go.

One of the criteria for volunteering was to 'Wear the Special Olympics uniform with pride'. We were provided with hat, raincoat, polo shirt, t-shirt and bum bag and had to provide our own fawn trousers to complete the assemblage. My uniform was the green of the 'jobbing volunteer', so was the colour worn by the majority. I got such a reaction wherever I went - from both fellow volunteers and Dubliners, finding the pride to go with the uniform was no problem.

We were asked to provide a volunteer diary each day. In the end I was the only one to do so. I didn't have access to a computer or e-mail, but luckily my host from the bank was the Managing Director's PA, so could take my hastily written scribblings and send them back to Bristol to go on the company's intranet. I suppose that was my first experience of blogging! We've been having a massive clearout at home lately and I came across my volunteer diary and various other materials from that time and had a lovely few hours reminiscing. As a result I've decided to start an occasional blog, to properly record this and other special experiences, travel diaries etc. My volunteer diary's there right now waiting for you to take a peek.

I still have the hat and the raincoat. However, the words TEAM 2003 emblazoned on the back of the coat in enormous white letters doesn't really make it suitable for everyday wear. So I keep it in my shed up at the allotment for rainy emergencies. It brings a smile to my face every time I have to use it, in spite of the rain.

ABC Wednesday is bought to you courtesy of Mrs Nesbitt and the letter U.

Comments

  1. themanicgardener11 June 2008 at 05:53

    This was charming. Thank you. I look forward to reading the diary.
    --kate

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gerald (Ackworth born)11 June 2008 at 08:59

    what a fantastic tale - I remember when Manchester was full of volunteers for the Commenwealth Games and how friendly everyone was and how the uniforms unified folk.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pernille11 June 2008 at 11:17

    Very nice U-post:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rune Eide11 June 2008 at 12:09

    I must admit that as far as I can remember (it may be because I spent several months in hospital that year), this is the first time I have heard of this event. I had to be briefed by Wikipedia. You seem to have done a marvellous job for a good cause.

    A worthy U.

    My U is here.

    ReplyDelete
  5. mrsnesbitt11 June 2008 at 12:13

    Fascinating! I will have to read this now!

    P.S. The Apprentice....the final tonight!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Juliana RW11 June 2008 at 12:18

    what a nice uniform...

    Mine in here Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  7. Zoë11 June 2008 at 13:13

    I had a Scottish friend who for many years was involved in the Special Olympics, married and moved South and now lives in Chippenham too.

    Wouldn't it be strange if you knew her.

    Zoë

    ReplyDelete
  8. AphotoAday11 June 2008 at 14:08

    Well, there you go -- u for uniform...   I thought of that, but couldn't find any uniforms to shoot or any in my archives...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jane Hards Photography11 June 2008 at 14:43

    Very different choice. Firts uniform I've seen. Really lovely story to read.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Suburbia11 June 2008 at 14:50

    U for Uniform's a good one! How interesting that you were involved in 2003. What a great opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Rose11 June 2008 at 15:58

    Great choice for U. Volunteering for the Special Olympics must have been a very rewarding experience.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Leslie:11 June 2008 at 19:43

    What a wonderful story about your adventures volunteering at the 2003 Olympics! And good for you for keeping your diary and all the other accoutrements from the experience. Very interesting reading and a great post for U-day! :D

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dragonstar11 June 2008 at 20:14

    What a lovely story! I'll be back to look at your diary later.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kim11 June 2008 at 21:18

    It is great that you got that opportunity, now you have a wonderful story to tell.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Petunia11 June 2008 at 21:39

    Very good choice and it will be interesting to read the diary!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Neva12 June 2008 at 05:25

    I like your choice of "U".
    Mine is here.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nydia13 June 2008 at 18:11

    That must have been an awesome experience! Great post!

    Kisses from Nydia, Brazil.

    ReplyDelete
  18. VP23 June 2008 at 20:22

    Hi everyone - glad you liked the story. I'll leave comments over at yours...

    ReplyDelete

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