Switching on the Kingston Xmas Lights!

Natalie and Helena - 2 KUSU Volunteers!

Hello my fellow Kingstonians!! I’m Helena, a 2nd year Law (LLB) student currently studying at Kingston University. I recently volunteered at the 'Kingston Christmas Lights Switch-On' which took place on 15th November 2012. It was promoted by KUSU Volunteering and organised by Kingston First. Approximately 50,000 people gathered in Kingston town centre to experience the beginning of the festive season. I decided to volunteer for this event since I am a part of Kingston, and wanted to be more involved with the community and also obviously represent Kingston University too!

Stilt ladies!

There were many activities and responsibilities that I was assigned to do, for example set up signs around Kingston for the event, give out leaflets to everyone in the town centre, set up the radio headsets for everyone and assist the general public if they had any issues or needed help with directions. I also got to escort the skating Christmas pudding, roving stars, and skating angels around town which was really exciting! The children loved these attractions and took lots of pictures all evening. The buzz started when Radio Jackie started blasting music in Kingston town centre and the crowd cheered for almost four hours non-stop! 

My favourite moment of the day was obviously the 'switching on of the lights' at 6pm. The lights were turned on by various people, including actors from the Rose Theatre dressed up as Prince Charming, Cinderella and Santa Claus, and also by several volunteers, including myself!

The Christmas market was also open with food and hot drinks for everyone; it was lovely to see families having a really good time. I also really enjoyed helping out with the children activities as the response they all gave was amazing and made my day :)

The event was fantastic; there was always something to take part in or get involved with and it was definitely seven hours productively spent! I also had the chance to meet other volunteers from Kingston University which was great.

I believe that volunteering is rewarding and if you love to help out - then go for it! Every volunteering experience is different and can leave you with various skills and experiences that will stay with you for life. 

In the future I will definitely take part in more One-Off Volunteering opportunities, and now that I love volunteering I might get started on a Student-Led Volunteering project too!

So get volunteering!! Good Luck!