Wimbledon Guild Village Fair needs you! The organisers behind the annual event, social welfare charity Wimbledon Guild, is appealing for volunteers to make the 2017 Fair the best yet.

The charity is aiming to build a team of 100 volunteers and supporters to help out at the Wimbledon Guild Village Fair on Saturday June 17.

Anyone who wants to be involved can sign up to this fantastic community event, which attracts more than 35,000 people to Wimbledon Common every summer, via the wimbledonguildvillagefair.org.uk/volunteers website.

Volunteer co-ordinator at Wimbledon Guild, Nick Linney, explained that there are a host of roles available on the day, ranging from helping at the Fun Dog Show, managing the Sips and Sounds music marquee or selling raffle tickets.

He said: “This is such a lovely community event which promotes involvement and fun for everyone and working as part of our team for the day is a really memorable experience.

“We have lots of interesting and varied roles throughout the day. And it doesn’t matter if you can only spare a few hours to take part, we have roles that could take just a short time.

“This is a fantastic volunteer programme for everyone from students to families, colleagues and individuals. It’s a chance to meet and make new friends and of course, we’ll make sure you’re treated to snacks and drinks while you’re with us.

“You can volunteer on your own or bring a friend or a colleague. And afterwards you’ll have our badge of honour, a Wimbledon Guild Village Fair 2017 t-shirt and our wholehearted thanks.”

Nick added that while there are no skills requirements there are a few specialised roles based around the main arena that would need previous event experience.

The Wimbledon Guild Village Fair, that has the Wimbledon Foundation – the charity of The All England Lawn Tennis Club – as a major partner, is a landmark occasion in the local social calendar and last year’s star attraction, The Knights of Middle England, will return to create a thrilling equestrian jousting spectacle.

The Fair is a firm favourite with families, foodies and music fans and offers a fun-filled free-to-enter day for all ages while raising funds in aid of the social welfare charity which helps local people of Merton lead a better life by tackling poverty, supporting ageing and encouraging mental wellbeing.

Wimbledon Guild Village Fair 2016 volunteer Evelina Belevich, 19, from Raynes Park, has already committed to volunteering for this summer’s event.

The University of Exeter psychology student said: “I have already signed up for this year’s Fair! Last year was fantastic fun and it felt so worthwhile to be part of the team on the day. Knowing that every penny goes to such an amazing local cause is what makes all the difference to me. And at the end of such a fun day, it was so rewarding to have played a part in it. For me making such a great impact locally is so important.

“The volunteer team last year had such great fun. Working together and coming together as a team made the day really very enjoyable. There are so many roles to do on the day and everyone is made to feel so welcome and part of the team. I would recommend volunteering at the Wimbledon Guild Village Fair to anyone.”

To register for the Fair please complete our Volunteer Form here https://wimbledonguildvillagefair.org.uk/volunteers

When? The Summer Give launches at 12pm (midday) on Monday 15th May. Donations will be doubled until 12pm on Friday 19th May. That’s 72 hours to double your donation!!! So if you donate £20 to KLS then The Summer Give matches your donation with £20 = doubling your donation to £40.

Where? Donate online at https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/project/25624

What? KLS’ Love to Learn Summer Programme for refugee children living in poverty in London.

KLS’ Love to Learn team recognise that holidays, trips and activities are a crucial part of education and development. Headteachers have told them how important a wide range of experiences is for child to achieve well at school.

Many of the refugee families KLS work with are on very low incomes, living in poverty and geographically isolated. Many of their children don’t often leave the borough. KLS’  summer programme of activities, trips & outings help them to get to know the children they work with better and to gain and develop trust with families as a whole.

The Summer Programme enables children to:

• Have Fun
• Develop Confidence
• Gain new experiences
• See new places
• Overcome challenges

KLS run activity programmes in the school holidays, which include sports and cultural activities, as well as camping holidays and residentials.

KLS has worked in collaboration with the South Bank Centre, Natural History Museum, Royal College of Art, Pump House Gallery, Tara Arts, Urban Arts Academy to name a few. Holidays include camping in Gloucestershire, Family holidays to Degmo Somali farm camp in Wales and Haven Hastings and youth activity holidays at Hindleap Warren Outdoor education centre in the Ashdown Forest.

The children and young people nearly always mention trips as their favourite thing about being involved with KLS’ Love to Learn team: “I love going to Thursday Club – I get help with my homework and do football. I like cooking best. I went to the seaside – I’ve never been there before. I went in the sea. It was cold!”

How? Double your donation here: https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/project/25624 on 15th-19th May.

Thank you for making this summer such a special one for so many refugee children!!!