Our volunteer colleague in Bolton Community Development Partnership, Amanda Sherrington who is currently studying Environmental Health at The University of Salford, had a great opportunity to work with Chaitimes one of BCDP`s partners. Below is her reflection on her Fabulous experience of volunteering during Bolton Food and Drink Festival 2016:
I recently became a volunteer with Chaitimes,through Bolton Community Development Partnership (BCDP) and was given the opportunity to cover the Bolton Food & Drink Festival 2016, with the purpose to take photographs and observe.
The weekend was mainly an opportunity for myself to gain confidence and interact with people from all backgrounds and cultures.
As I approached the festival, I could smell the different types of food, walking through the streets. It was amazing how having a camera round my neck with a media pass, people wanted to talk to me. As we prepared to meet the celebrity chefs backstage, other people from the media was engaging with myself and my colleague which gave me a feeling of importance. As I later took the photos, I was running up and down the isles with a camera, and it all felt surreal. Nadiya Hussain who won the great british bake off previously, did a food demonstration for the guests and then asked all the children in the audience to come and sit down with her at the front, while she read a story from her cookery book. We also spoke to Jenny McAlpine (fiz )from Coronation Street and Celebrity Chef Michael Caines. Walking around the stalls and speaking to the many stall holders, whom made me feel very welcome and they couldn’t speak highly enough about the festival.
The whole experience was fun and very rewarding for myself, it gave me more satisfaction than I could of ever imagined.
Amanda Sherrington
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