Joshua's Story - Awareness Week 2017

Shine member Josh who has Hydrocephalus recently spent time with our HQ fundraising and marketing teams as part of his school work shadowing placement. Josh says: "It's been interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes and how much goes on in a charity. I didn't realise how big Shine was, and how many different sections there were within it.

“Health adviser Robin explained to me the health and nursing background of Shine and talked about the main health risks of hydrocephalus and spina bifida. (As I have hydrocephalus and know mostly about it, he talked to me about spina bifida and how it affects people.)

“I met the busy Services Admin team where all the calls come in, and the finance team who deal with all of the money which comes in, and the fundraising teams who organise events, send emails and letters to trusts and foundations, and decide what they will include within a pack sent out to each school involved in fundraising. I was allowed to sit in a meeting on Awareness week. It was really interesting to see what they had to say about it all and how they could spread the message of Shine.

“Asif showed me the software which he uses for a Virtual Balloon Simulation Race, which involves many people across the country through the use of the Internet. It seemed very clever to me as the Virtual Balloon Race took into consideration, the weather, the wind speed/direction and the size and thickness of the balloon. The distance in which they had travelled in a certain period of time determined the winners of the race, who receive a prize. To enter this race you must pay a sum of money that goes into the funds of Shine. The Balloon Race really contributes to Shine’s funds, as it is very popular with the general public, having around 1,500 people per Balloon Race.”