Number 29: Do some volunteering Pleased to be able to tick off my first challenge as I am now officially a fully trained volunteer with Victim Support. It is something I have talked about doing for years as having been a victim of crime myself years ago, I always felt I might actually be of use to someone. Of course,the idea first struck me when I was contacted by victim support as a 17 year old. The volunteer sounded lovely but was clearly an elderly lady. Now, after having completed equality and diversity training I realise I was possibly being very judgemental by assuming that this caring, kindly spoken old lady would have little experience of street fighting. I could be very wrong but I wondered what advice she would offer me on how to get down the shops without being pelted with eggs and bricks for being a grass. Twelve years on I am now in the position to use my empathetic, listening skills with the kids but fear I may now be the out of touch adult on the end of the phone. The beauty and tragedy of Victim Support though is that they don't offer advice. As a volunteer you listen, listen and listen and then pass on some practical information. A valuable service indeed and probably for the best as I do have trouble with realising when to dive in with my opinion and when to keep it buttoned. Anyway, here is a photo of me with one of my victim support training books and the number 29 scrawled on a piece of white paper. Get in there! Of course with David Cameron ushering in the Big Society, I'm sure everyone will be volunteering soon. Whether you want to help victims of crime, keep your local library open or even ensure things are still ticking along in the surgical wards of the local hospital. I fear if I ever have to go under an anesthetic again, the last thing I will see is a chirpy volunteer flicking through a book on heart bypasses as all the surgeons have been laid off. Sweet! One in the bag, 29 to go!