​Youth Helpline Volunteer raises £1,000 with Santa Dash for Charity

A helpline volunteer who supports vulnerable young people with charity Get Connected has raised ten times her fundraising target after taking part in a Santa Dash over the weekend. Vanissa Tailor, who has volunteered on the helpline for under 25s since 2010, has so far raised more than £1,000 for the charity by taking part in the fun run.

The Santa Dash is a 5km course around Victoria Park in London that takes place each December with participants dressed as Father Christmas. The original fundraising target for the event was £100, however Vanissa wanted to end the year on a high and pressed friends and family to donate.

Vanissa says: “I wanted to do more for Get Connected this year, I believe it's such as worthwhile cause. Everyone was so surprised that I was taking part as I'm not a runner at all – in my spare time I love to eat cake. I'm known as the dessert queen! I'm hoping my donation page will raise even more while it's still open too.”

Initially, Vanissa came across the Get Connected website when she was trying to help a friend who was going through a hard time. “I read the volunteering page and it really appealed to me, so I thought I would do it. I had always wanted to volunteer and make a positive difference to other people's lives but wasn't sure how to go about it until I saw what Get Connected were offering. The shifts are flexible and that means I can volunteer while working full-time.”

Vanissa is positive about her experience on the Get Connected helpline. She says: “For me volunteering at Get Connected has been an extremely rewarding experience and I would encourage everyone to do it! Volunteering also makes me think differently about my own problems and challenges in life, helping to put things into perspective and making me feel grateful for everything I have and have achieved.”

Get Connected will be open throughout the holiday season for young people who need to contact the helpline. Vanissa says: “Some young people are not aware of the help and resources that are available to them and it's always great to hear that we may have helped in some way however little. Above all, I think Get Connected provides a sense of hope for young people in an ever changing and complex world.”

Find out more about volunteeringnow at www.getconnected.org.uk/volunteer

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS: For more information or accompanying images please contact Alex Meredith, Communications Assistant at Get Connected: 020 7009 2515 / alex.meredith@getconnected.org.uk

Get Connected is the free, confidential & multi-issue national helpline service supporting vulnerable young people under 25 all over the UK.

• Get Connected is registered charity, number 1081840, and depends on voluntary donations. Get Connected is a key partner of Child Helpline International, a global network of 192 child helplines in 145 countries.
• More than 228,000 vulnerable children and young people accessed help through Get Connected last year. Get Connected are now also offering up to seven weeks free telephone counselling for young people, funded by the Department of Education, an early intervention to prevent problems becoming more serious and to help young people find positive coping strategies.