Celebrating Volunteers – Day 3 – Mar Orienteering Club
With Volunteers’ Week taking place from 1-7 June, through our website we’re celebrating many of the volunteers who help make orienteering in Scotland great. Today we’re highlighting Mar Orienteering Club, so thank you to their volunteers Pat Graham and Fran Getliff!
MAROC volunteer profiles
Volunteer’s Name:
Pat Graham
How long have they been a club member?
7 years
How do they support the club and orienteering?
Pat is the Club Publicity Officer (Facebook, twitter, local press), a Level 1 Coach, and an Event Organiser (e.g. she co-organised SOL 1 at Birsemoor, in Feb 2019)
What makes them shine as a volunteer?
Pat ensures the club has a strong social media presence through postings to Facebook several times a week. These promote the club’s activities and achievements and share relevant posts from partner organisations and links to interesting articles. She also maintains the club Twitter feed.
Pat regularly contributes articles for publication in the Deeside Piper, the local newspaper. She is very successful in bringing orienteering to the attention of the local community through eloquent factual articles and colourful back-page spreads.
Additionally, Pat helps out regularly at club training sessions and recently qualified as a Level 1 coach. She looks after the club badge awards, ensuring that all Maroc youngsters are rewarded for their participation and achievements with badges and certificates at the annual club AGM and social. On top of this, Pat has taken on organisational roles at club events, including recently co-organising the SOL at Birsemore.
What makes Pat shine as a volunteer is her unfailing cheeriness, good-humour and willingness to be involved, as well as her highly efficient organisation in the background. She is always at hand to capture and promote the club action and activities.
Volunteer’s Name:
Fran Getliff
How long have they been a club member?
10 years
How do they support the club and orienteering?
Club Access Officer (3 years acting President 2016,17 & 18)
Banchory Schools Liaison Officer
Event Organiser (e.g. R. Deeside 2017 Event Centre)
Event Planner
What makes them shine as a volunteer?
Fran has recently completed a very successful three-year stint as club vice-President during which she was also acting-President. Her current role is the Club Access Officer, co-ordinating land access for the club’s events and activities.
Fran has always been very supportive of schools orienteering. She has been instrumental in recruiting newcomers through organising blocks of after-school and in-school orienteering sessions for both primary and academy aged children. She has co-ordinated teams and transport for Banchory schools to attend the Scottish Schools festival and for Maroc juniors to attend the Jamie Stevenson Trophy and inter-area competitions.
Fran also helps out regularly at club training sessions. She has taken on a number of organisational roles including running the Deeside 2017 6-Days Event Centre and co-organising the recent SOL at Birsemore. She is planning a Regional event at Glen Feardar in August.
Fran’s ability to motivate youngsters makes her particularly shine as a volunteer. She is always cheerful and welcoming to newcomers and old members alike and a towering organisational presence in the club.
A huge thank you to both of them! We’ll be profiling other volunteers throughout the week and if you want to make sure your club highlights the work of volunteers, please email denise@scottish-orienteering.org.