Anita Lewis Rummels works here at Southmead Hospital Charity as our Fundraising Assistant.  She has been with the Charity for 3 years, and in this week’s blog we quiz her about her role, and her hopes for the Charity’s future:

Anita, what does your job entail?

Every day is different.  Today I could be doing thank you letters to donors, organising meetings, or greeting our lovely fundraisers when they drop off sponsorship money. Then tomorrow I might be food tasting for our awards ceremony, or putting balloons up on our maternity mural, and sorting out gift aid forms.  I might need to pop over to our cashiers, or collect money donated on our wards, or help set up a cake sale.  I’ve also been called on to model for Charity photos!  I really like the variety.

Do you get out and about?

Very much so.  I help out at the events our fundraisers take part in.  The Bristol 10K is a good example – I’ll meet our runners at the start, take their photos, encourage them to do well, and then meet them at the end to thank them.  This year we’ve also got people taking part in the Bristol Half Marathon, the Nightrider, our summer skydive and the abseil off the top of our Brunel building so it’s going to be a busy few months.

What do you most enjoy about your role?

Definitely the variety, and I also enjoy managing events.  We’ve got a tea party next month to thank the Trust’s volunteers which I’m helping to co-ordinate.  I know lots of people throughout the Trust and I like the fact that I see lots of familiar faces in the course of a day.

What changes have you noticed in the Charity over the last 3 years?

When I started working here there were only 3 of us in the team.  Since then we’ve changed the Charity’s name, relaunched it, and developed much more of an identity.  The Charity and it’s profile is growing.

How do you see the Charity developing in the near future?

Hopefully we’ll continue to grow into a bigger team.  There’s so much we could do – we’d like a shopfront and eventually our own merchandise to sell. We’ve got lots of ideas.

What’s been your highlight at work so far?

Winning my Unsung Hero award.  I now know how great it feels to win an award and the value of having all your hard work recognised.

And finally, any words of advice for anyone considering working in the charity sector?

Be prepared for a challenge! Things change constantly and so you need to be flexible and willing to go with the flow.