Meet Debra Wiltshire
Volunteers are very legitimately the back bone of Home County. We are incredibly thankful for the massive number of people who give up their time to help us put on the Festival. Each month, we want to take the time to honour these amazing people.
We need to thank another amazing volunteer - Phyllis Brady - for bringing Deb Wiltshire into the Home County family about 15 years ago by recruiting her to work in the Info Tent. Deb says that she was hooked from the get-go and we are incredibly thankful for that!
Deb has worn so many hats at Home County over these past years. After getting her feet wet as a volunteer for the first couple of years, she was recruited to be the Volunteer Coordinator by Bernie Gilmore and Brian Mortimer. This is a massive job and the success of the Festival is intricately tied to ensuring we have enough volunteers who are trained and happy to keep the weekend running smoothly. Deb held this position until 2019 and is a valuable resource to our new Volunteer Coordinator Jen Heidenheim.
On top of this role (!) Deb served as the Chair of the Festival Operations Committee and on the Board of Directors for 6 years. She also lent her expertise to the Finance and Planning and Governance Committees. She has truly done it all at Home County!
We asked Deb for her favourite memories around Home County and what she loves most about volunteering with us.
Deb said that she most enjoyed the planning leading up to the Festival. She described it as crazy busy for a few months - often overwhelming but working with an amazing team who pulls it all together made the work worth it. And her favourite memories? As with others, it comes down to the rain. In her words, 'all you could do was laugh...but we sure felt like crying.' Deb says that she also has fond memories of the first year Home County received a grant to engage newcomers to London - and all the wonderful people she met during the process.
Deb - we can't adequately sum up in one article what your contributions have been to Home County! We are so thankful for your leadership, your generosity of time and spirit and your ongoing dedication to Home County.
*Do you have an area at the Festival that you’re passionate about? Remember you can request to work in specific areas on our Volunteer Application form!*