…. In the life of a Fundraising Officer by Judith Younger
It was all going fine until I looked down. I’d been quite relaxed about throwing myself off the Forth Rail Bridge to raise money for Pasda’s carers up until now. Five of us were inching along the steel beams to where we were going to be hooked into our harnesses. Cath – a seasoned Pasda carer and committee member – is telling us it’s OK, she’s done it before and can’t wait to jump off. I am trying not to focus on the narrowness of the ledge – on the wrong side of the safety bar – that the climbing guy is telling me to step on to.
We’d only met the other brave souls joining us to leap into the unknown – Saher, Kerri and Sean (who’s scared of heights!) about half an hour before, but now we are all hugging and wishing each other luck – it’s the fastest team bonding exercise ever.
This is a far cry from my normal working day, where I am found sitting in Pasda’s office ignoring everyone and trying to describe the enormity of looking after an adult with autism in 200 words. Squeezing real life into boxes on forms to persuade funders of the importance of the work Pasda does, and show how a grant will help us continue to do it.
Usually I write about 10,000 words a week. Today I am abseiling 165 feet – it’s a lot harder!
We all make it to the beach – exhilarated and feeling fantastic! It’s been a great day, and we have raised over £2500.
Carers have described caring for an adult with autism as like falling off a cliff. At Pasda we want to be the rope they can cling on to. So back to writing my words…..
Judith Younger