We are very lucky to have a team of passionate and kind volunteers, who care deeply about rivers and are prepared to take time out to help our work in a multitude of ways.
Two such volunteers are Viv and Andy, who recently took on the challenge of organising and running a charity quiz to help raise funds to support our work. Andy explains more:
“Viv and I volunteer as River Guardians for the Western Sussex Rivers Trust, regularly testing the quality of the river water along tributaries of the River Arun in the Horsham District.
Also as volunteers for the Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve (FoWLNR), we felt that the testing of water that runs through the Reserve would not only be of value to WSRT, but also to the FoWLNR, and to Horsham District Council, which owns it.
When we heard that the Holbrook Club in Horsham was looking for someone to run a charity quiz in September, we volunteered!
From previous quizzes we ran at work, we had amassed quite a lot of questions, so were able to dust them off and put them to good use!
We both feel very strongly about the valuable work that the WSRT does and recognise that increasing costs threaten parts of it, so wanted to make a contribution.
Ably supported by Cathy, Water Champion for Schools and Young People as the WSRT, and with over 80 people attending, we received some lovely feedback.
Although there was a hairy moment when the speaker for the music round stopped working, once fixed, it was great to see (and hear!) the audience participation!
The amount raised of £414 exceeded our expectations and people were very generous in buying raffle tickets and making donations.
It was a very rewarding experience and we would encourage others to do similar or to set up a fund raiser to support the WSRT - if you choose a quiz and you want any pointers or access to the questions we have, we'd be very happy to share!”
A huge thank you to Andy and Viv for taking the time to put on this brilliant event - we really value the effort and dedication of all our volunteers and we couldn’t do what we do without you!