Not only is Mandy the chair of a secondary school PTA, she recently became a Paralympics Games Maker. After the huge success of the London 2012 Games and the role played by volunteers, PTA-UK caught-up with Mandy to find out what it was like.
Tell us about yourself Mandy A: I’m a fulltime Mum to three teenagers aged 15, 17 and 19. The older two – both girls - are respectively at university and sixth form college and my son is at the The Chase Secondary School in Malvern where I’m the PTA chair. I have a background in electronics, which I’ve actually taught, but I took voluntary redundancy from my last role about four years ago.
Tell us about your PTA A: I got involved about 18 months ago when despite there being over 1,700 pupils at the school, the PTA only had four parents on the committee. It was pretty much on its knees. We now have a team of 21 having taken the decision that no-one would be left on their own – all roles are shared. We raise around £5,000 a year which we distribute through a bursary scheme. Every child in the school can write twice during their school career requesting help from the PTA for some form of activity which will support their education and provide a positive benefit for the community. So far we’ve funded pupils to train as football coaches, go on Scout and Guide camps and take part in music courses.
Why did you decide to become a
Paralympics
Games Maker? A: My eldest
daughter, Hannah, is very involved
in archery having competed for the junior GB archery team. This meant we got early notification about becoming a Games Maker. She was very keen to take part but as she was only then aged 17, I had to give my permission and I decided to join in too.
Tell us about the Games Maker training. We know McDonalds was involved. So what was it like? A: It took place over two days. In February we were inducted into the ethos of the games and learnt about the values that are embodied by the games. A second day of training was held closer to the games. I was part of a team of ten managing the radio communications for the Basketball Arena and the Velodrome. We had to handle all radio requests from more chocolate for the athletes to first aid requests from the spectators.
What was the high point? A: Once I put on my Games Maker uniform I suddenly got all sorts of people talking to me whilst out and about in London. At times, it was a little difficult as I was asked questions I didn’t know the answer to but I met some lovely people.
Did your daughter manage to see the archery? A: Yes she did – she volunteered for the archery and was front of stage. All the archers need a representative who walks to the target with the referee to agree the score. Some
archers didn’t have their own representatives so she got to stand in for them at the last minute. It was wonderful for her.
What experience as a Games Maker did you take back to your PTA? A: Once you are a volunteer, you are always a volunteer – I meet so many other Games Makers who volunteer in other capacities. It also reinforced the value of preparation, organisation and the importance of being flexible. We are organising our Christmas Fair and we are fortunate to have our own team of helpers; I’ll be applying all that I learnt to make sure we get the best out of everybody.
PTA-UK would like to thank Mandy, her daughter Hannah and all of the other Games Makers for all they did to make the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games so wonderful. It truly was a summer to remember and we are grateful to all the Games Makers for making this possible.