In September we started a new Ambassador of the Month campaign, to further recognise the amazing work our Ambassadors are doing.
Each month we’ll select one Ambassador to speak to, asking them about their time at LandAid and highlighting something exceptional they’ve done.
Our past Ambassadors of the month have been: Anna Stewart from BNPPRE, Alexander Barnes and Joseph Round from Gerald Eve LLP, Kitty Kent from PwC, Sophie Walker from Gerald Eve LLP, Emma Murray from Palmer Capital and Laura Da Silva from Malcolm Hollis.
We’re really pleased to announce our seventh Ambassador of the Month, Sarah Gunn from TFT Consultants! We selected Sarah in part for her fantastic work as our Bristol Lead Ambassador, as well as spreading awareness about LandAid and the issues of youth homelessness in general.
We asked her some questions about her time as a LandAid Ambassador so far. Check out her answers below.
Why did you get involved in the LandAid Ambassador programme?
On my first day at TFT two years ago, my boss, David Mann (member of the LandAid fundraising committee) asked me if I would take part in the LandAid 10K in a couple of weeks’ time. This was the first I had heard about LandAid, and not wanting to disappoint on day one, I said yes! I have always been a keen fundraiser, with many family members succumbing to cancer and thus trying to raise the much-needed funds to fight the disease.
I jumped on this straight away, organising a LandAid week in my first month at TFT, raising money towards our fundraising minimum for the 10K. I suppose following this enthusiasm, David suggested I’d be a good contribution to the Ambassador programme, so I wrote to LandAid and haven’t stopped giving all my extra time and energy in the programme ever since! My thoughts are, why not? This can rarely be argued with justifiable excuses!
What has been the most enjoyable thing you’ve done as an Ambassador, and what fundraising idea you’ve seen someone else undertake for LandAid has most impressed you?
In all honesty, diving in the deep end here in Bristol, setting up the South West Ambassador programme, has been so enjoyable. Having studied in Bath, I know the area well and the struggles the city has had helping victims of homelessness, so I am ready to help tackle this head on. It has become clear how enthusiastic the locals here in the property industry are about being involved in great causes, so I think with our working group of Ambassadors and gregarious South West Board, we are going to make a sizeable difference.
I think Emma Murray’s organising of the Palmer Capital’s Money Maker Challenge has been a step ahead of everything else, raising circa £25k last year, from such a small team of organisers. I’d have to say though, the best idea is definitely LandAid Day as a whole, as it allows companies to choose what is best for them, since we are all different sizes with different capacities, so seeing the diversity of creative ideas is really exciting and allows each company’s identity to stand out! I must note that Anna Stewart (London Lead Ambassador) has come up with an interesting fundraising idea, linking property and salsa dancing. Hopefully we will see this come into action in the near future…that’s all I will say on that!
Why would you say other people should become LandAid Ambassadors, and what has your proudest moment as an Ambassador been?
It’s very easy to leave university or school etc. and get overwhelmed by just finding the dream job’ and then spending all your free time commuting, doing chores, and all of life’s other responsibilities, so it is definitely easy to lose track of what life is actually about. No one wants to be remembered for the things they did for themselves, but for the community they live in, be it big or small. However, making an impact and actually keeping up with life can be hard, so the Ambassador programme is a way to incorporate both into your own time. You know it will be supported by work and you can achieve valuable contributions, both tangible and non-tangible to those less fortunate than us, whilst networking, improving personal skills (e.g. multi-tasking) or even gaining professional ones (e.g. event management) AND making new friends through a common goal! Like I said, you’ll find more reasons to be one than not to.
As for my proudest moment, I don’t like to think of myself here. I feel like my time as an Ambassador is so far removed from personal achievement. I do feel proud on behalf of TFT that we have probably doubled our participation in LandAid-run events since I joined the firm, some say I am good at encouraging participation (I just nag until they agree!). I felt proud of David [Mann] when he ran his first marathon in Paris and managed to raise £10,000 for LandAid! I anticipate feeling proud of the South West Ambassadors at the end of 2019 when we look back on what we have achieved at the end of our first year working together. Watch this space!
If you’d like to tell us about something you’ve done which you think qualifies you as our Ambassador of the Month, or you’d like to nominate another Ambassador for the accolade, then email Tom Gellatly and let him know.