Local charity hero Marilyn Nolan is in the running to become the UK face of #givingtuesday – the global day of giving.
Marilyn is one of ten candidates shortlisted from across the country vying to be named the UK’s ultimate charity champion
The winner – set to be revealed at the start of November – will help front this year’s campaign. They will play a leading role in inspiring people across the UK to do something good on #givingtuesday.
#givingtuesday will take place on Tuesday 29 November. The international campaign, led in the UK by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), encourages people to ‘do good stuff’ for causes they care about following the shopping frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Last year it broke a Guinness World Record for the most online donations in 24 hours and was the top trending item on Twitter, with support from celebrities including JK Rowling, Lily Allen and Gary Lineker.
Grandmother of 4, Marilyn, is celebrating her 70th birthday in December, but shows no sign of slowing down – in fact she continues to increase the weekly hours of lifelong volunteering she has undertaken in the community.
Marilyn is currently the Treasurer of the Meridian Mature Citizens Forum and supported her grandson’s junior football team, DaSH JFC for over eleven years, cooking bacon sandwiches in the clubhouse every weekend. She is also the Front of House Manager for at the Barn charity community theatre in Seaford and still finds time to make cakes every Friday for the local nursery and community development association. Marilyn has collected thousands of pounds for the RNIB with over twenty five years of charity box management in the area and was awarded the British Empire Medal for community volunteering in the Queens Honours list in January this year.
Hannah Terrey, Head of Policy and Campaigns at CAF, said:
“#givingtuesday is a huge celebration of doing good and a chance to shine a light on the fantastic work that charities do across the UK and around the world.
“The shortlisted candidates are all brilliant examples of what #givingtuesday is all about. Their extraordinary commitment to supporting good causes is something which can inspire others to do the same.”
This year’s #givingtuesday champion will be chosen by a panel of judges made up of Paul Stanworth, Assistant Editor at BBC Newsbeat; Mika Simmons, actress and founder of Gynaecological Cancer Fund’s Lady Garden campaign; Zoe Parkinson from Vice Magazine; Mike Buonaiuto, CEO of social change company Shape History; and last year’s winner Andrew Davies.
As well as being the UK face of the campaign, the #givingtuesday champion will receive a donation to a charity of their choice and will be rewarded with a hot air balloon ride over the UK countryside.