Welcome to my new blog!

Hello!

And a very warm welcome to the new blog; the one that's specifically dedicated to my World of Difference placement! Many of you reading this will already be familiar with the Vodafone World of Difference scheme, but please bear with me while I very briefly explain what it's all about for the benefit of those who aren't.

Every year, the Vodafone Foundation provides funding for 500 people, from all over the UK, to work on a short-term placement for a charity of their choice. Thousands of people apply as it really does provide a brilliant opportunity; not just for the applicants, but also for the many beneficiary charities involved. I've been a volunteer - just helping out on the reception desk - at Strathcarron Hospice for the past couple of years and I've grown to love the place. Strathcarron provides the most incredible palliative care - along with other family services - both in the hospice itself and throughout the communities of the Forth Valley region of Scotland. With overwhelming warmth and encouragement - along with an openness and willingness to try  a variety of new therapeutic processes - the challenge to provide the best possible environment for people with life-limiting illness is always met head-on. I love working there on a voluntary basis.

However, I can only afford to dedicate a few hours per week to the voluntary jobs that I do. So, I decided to apply to the Vodafone Foundation scheme, in the hope that I could give more of my time to the hospice in the form of a specific project. This way, the hospice benefits from a part-time employee bringing something that will 'make a difference' to the charity, at absolutely no cost to Strathcarron itself (as the Foundation funds each placement). The application process involved coming up with a proposal, pitching it to the hospice then - after Strathcarron had approved my idea - submitting an entry to the 'World of Difference' selection team. One written application, one video submission, one interview later and here I am!

I'm just as excited now as I was a few weeks ago when I was first told that my application had been successful and I cannot wait to get officially started next week. My project involves bringing a 'Myriad of Music' to Strathcarron; I'll leave the details for a later post, but basically I'm going to bring a variety of different forms of music therapy to the hospice. For the purposes of my project, the term 'music therapy' is used loosely - it represents many different ways in which music can be used to benefit the patients, their families and the wider community - and encompasses the simplest of pleasures that can be derived from listening to a favourite song, to the help that can be provided by trained music therapists offering professional treatments.

Although I don't start - officially - till next week, the ball's already well and truly rolling! I've set up a Just Giving page and I've been selling music quiz sheets (a steal at only £2 a go!) so that I can raise enough money to buy MP3 players. I've been delighted with the response and will definitely be able to buy the personal music players, along with a variety of accessories that really will make all the difference to the patients.

Anyway, I intended keeping this first post short!! So, I'll sign off for now. I'm really looking forward to the Winners' Launch Day down in Newbury on Monday. I'll meet the other 499 placement winners and - on the word of my very good friend and 2011 WoD winner Linda Sterry (check out her blog here) - will leave the day inspired and raring to go! (And, I might even meet Gok Wan!! He does the most incredible job as ambassador for the WoD scheme!)

Can't wait! :)