EASTBOURNE VOLUNTEERS WITH HELEN BURTON: Our project continues to grow and grow

We are awaiting news of several grant applications (and crossing our fingers), but I’ve also been searching for individuals and businesses to sponsor our project. One new sponsor we have gained this week is Jason Cornes, mentor and coach, who has not only offered to sponsor our project but also agreed to mentor me. He specialises in helping people grow small business and whilst Eastbourne Volunteers is not a business, a lot of the same skills and knowledge are required to build a community organisation, and I’ll take all the help and advice I can get!

At his suggestion I undertook the Myers Briggs Personality Test, which at the end gives you a four letter personality type. I am an INFP type, which means I am an idealist searching for ways to make things better, sometimes becoming overwhelmed by all the bad in the world that I can’t fix. The profile you receive when you know your type is very in-depth and I have found it accurate, insightful and helpful. The news over the last few weeks has had a huge impact on how I have been feeling, I’m sure it has affected many of us, and gaining an understanding of why this might be has been really helpful to me. I can’t wait to find out more about myself and how I work during the next few months of the mentoring process, hopefully it will help me get a lot more done at work!

Another source of support has come through the Eastbourne Mumpreneurs Networking Club. I went along to one of their monthly networking meetings at the Lansdowne Hotel (boy do they serve a lovely coffee there)! It was such a friendly group of people, both men and women are able to join, and I had some really interesting conversations and developed some great connections. The next meeting is July 14, and if you own a small business in East Sussex I can thoroughly recommend the organisation.

Working from our information hub I am finding out about a lot of amazing support on offer in and around Eastbourne. There is help available for everyone, including me. As the Myers Briggs test has shown me, it is easy and understandable to be overwhelmed in a busy and sometimes frightening world. Bad things happen, but there is a lot of good to balance it, the trick is knowing where to go for help, and sometimes what the right help might be. At our hub you can find information on the support available in Eastbourne as well as events and activities you can get involved with. Do pop in to 1 The Labyrinth, 7 Mark Lane and have a cuppa and a chat with us. Lets support each other in making Eastbourne a better place for everyone. Visit our website at www.eastournevolunteers.co.uk