Glasgow Life Volunteer Focus: Gillian Allan
Well done to Gillian Allan who has been recognised as a stand out volunteer by Glasgow Life in their National Volunteers’ Week (1st – 7th June 2023).
National Volunteers’ Week (1st – 7th June 2023) is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering in their communities.
Gillian is currently the secretary of the Glasgow North & Strathclyde Badminton Group having volunteered within the group for 16 years.
During this time, Gillian has been the driving force behind the Junior League which offers players from 8-20yrs of all levels and abilities a fun, friendly and safe environment to develop their playing and game skills with a pathway into club badminton.
After 16 years, Gillian has decided to step down as the Junior league co-ordinator where she led on all pre-event planning, volunteer co-ordination, communications, match scheduling and scoring to ensure a positive experience for all players, volunteers and families involved.
This season alone, Gillian led on 10 events from September until May providing an opportunity for 611 junior players from 20 clubs across the city. Gillian has faced many challenges this season due to reduced facility access and increased demand but her commitment to accommodating all entries to avoid disappointment was commendable, sacrificing many additional volunteer hours (on top of what she already gives) re-doing draws, shuffling groups to provide the best experience for all players.
Gillian is immensely proud of how far she has taken the league – when she took over there was only five events a year with approximately 30 players per event.
There are now ten events, and the numbers are now getting towards pre-Covid levels of 100.
On behalf of Glasgow Life – Sport and Badminton Scotland, we’d like to say thanks to Gillian for your volunteer time creating opportunities for young players to grow and develop in badminton.