April 13, 2018, by Cara McIsaac-Hall
BUCS Big Wednesday – the volunteer experience
Last month, the University of Nottingham hosted BUCS Big Wednesday – the largest team sport event in the University sport calendar. Over 90 volunteers from the University of Nottingham were recruited to support the event, from liaising with teams to officiating matches.
Leadership Academy ambassador Becky Beard was one of the many University of Nottingham student volunteers who were key to the success of the event – and tells us more in her blog!
With 14 different sports, over 1000 teams and 1500 athletes, it was clear BUCS Big Wednesday was a huge event to pull off. For those who haven’t heard of the event, BUCS Big Wednesday the final round of competition for some of British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) biggest sports, with 52 finals being played over the course of 12 hours!
With 14 sports, 104 of teams and over 1500 athletes, it was going to be no small task to organise and pull off. Luckily we had a team of over 90 volunteers who worked alongside BUCS and University of Nottingham Sport to ensure the event ran smoothly.
Before the event began, we all attended an evening training course with the Leadership Academy team and the BUCS staff. It was a really busy evening and it was great to get familiarised with the event and meet all the other volunteers we’d be working with on the day. We also got to pick up our free BUCS stash, so we’d look the part on the day!
On the 21 March, our student volunteers helped with a huge range of different roles; from manning the ticketing desks to looking after teams, scoring games and making tannoy announcements. Some of our volunteers were even lucky to meet the Princess Royal, making an official visit to Nottingham to attend BUCS Big Wednesday!
We all really enjoyed the experience – it was really fun to experience such a huge event and get the opportunity to try new roles in a new situation. We even managed some free time during our breaks to enjoy watching really high-class sport.
Heather Dunn, a Biochemistry and Genetics student, told me what a great time she’d had at her first experience of a major sporting event:
“I really enjoyed volunteering and being part of such a large event. It was a busy day, but lots of fin. There was always something to do but also the chance to experience the atmosphere in the stands too. “
Tom Goss, currently in his final year of studying Geography, was one of the lucky ones who welcomed HRH Princess Anne to the David Ross Sports Village. He added:
“I had such an awesome experience at BUCS Big Wednesday. I’m not sure that I’ll get the chance anywhere else to meet royalty! I thought that the day ran really well – all the volunteers were helping each other to ensure that we got all tasks completed. It made me really proud to be part of all the great work we do at the University of Nottingham!”
From all the team at BUCS and University of Nottingham Sport, a huge thank you to all of our volunteers. The day simply would not have been possible without you!
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Interested in volunteering with our Leadership Academy? We’ve got a range of exciting opportunities coming up including our new outdoor Discovery Days with local schools. To find out more and register your interest visit: http://uonsportleaders.com
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