Welcome to our Activities and Events Manager

Ellen and her team will be organising activities and events for the Learning and Living Zone and Club Wilber, looking after our amazing volunteers and overseeing our much needed fundraising.

Hello, my name is Ellen Harding.  Originally from West Yorkshire, I joined the Navy in 1991 and spent 16 years as a sailor!  Working on ships and ashore and I also was lucky enough to spend some time in the Falkland Islands. I then moved to New Zealand with my family for 8 years and I am now a dual national.  I have a huge passion for travelling (as you might guess) and have visited more than 30 different countries! On a weekend you will find me in my workshop with my toolbox out or covered in paint as I am an avid maker and crafter and I love nothing more than to make something special out of an old piece of furniture.

I wanted to work for Wilberforce Trust because I have been a volunteer all my life and have been looking for a role in the third sector for some years.  I am so rewarded when I have the opportunity to help people and I knew that I had the energy, enthusiasm and empathy to put into a role working with a charity.

I was attracted to the Activities and Events Manager role because of my background previous experiences.  I have been a Brownie Guider for 25 years putting together programmes for the different groups I have worked with. Seeing the smiles and laughter of enjoyment from these children gave me such motivation.  I worked with disabled children in some of my groups and it was interesting to see how the others empathised and were happy to work on the adapted activities. Plus, I am a born organiser with a lot of experience putting events together and rallying volunteers.  It is such a privilege to work with The Wilberforce Trust and I feel like a jigsaw piece that has finally slotted into place.

We are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with our events and activities.  If you have never volunteered before you should give it a try – the rewards are amazing. Volunteering can help you gain confidence by giving you the chance to try something new and build a real sense of achievement. You will be making a difference, meeting people, learning some new skills and best of all having fun!

Interested in volunteering?  Click here!