Nearly 70 people offered to volunteer to help run this week’s CommsCamp North in Sheffield, a mighty fine number indeed, and a testament to the ethos of the event.

I loved my first CommsCamp in Birmingham. The arrival of the walking buses meant big influxes of happy people, all cheerfully signed in at the arrivals desk before they grabbed a cuppa and admired a cake table that would put a WI fete in the shade.

All of the above were run by volunteers, and for me, it’s a key part of the CommsCamp magic. It’s a reflection of the friendliness of the community that so many people are willing to pitch in, and I especially love that there is competition over who gets to wear a big foam finger to help people find the venue.

I’ve volunteered for a few years, starting off as a tea-urn topper-upper* and lunchtime clearer-upper* before being given the keys to the on-the-day Twitter account – although I’ll always happily top an urn up. And while I’m a bit sad that I’ve never been entrusted with a big foam finger, I love being part of a great squad of people helping to make things go as smoothly and enjoyably as possible for everyone on the day.

Why do we volunteer? As a thank you, a give back. CommsCamp is the highlight of my communications year. The generosity of CommsCamp organisers and sponsors in putting on a free event makes attending so much more attainable, particularly in an era of slashed training budgets. Thank you to them all.

I’ve learned more from CommsCamp than many a megabucks training course, eaten better cake than I could ever buy and met the most fantastic people. I can’t wait to do it all over again.

*Official job titles. Honest.

Kelly Quigley-Hicks