Long-time Orchard Volunteer Harry is a natural journalist.
Harry covered the Spring Fayre as our ‘Roving Reporter’, calling on his industry skills to talk to everyo
ne and anyone on the day. For Volunteers Week, Harry tells us about his day vox-poppin’ in the sun at the Orchard Spring Fayre.
The sun was shining and the vibe was buzzing as a vast number of local businesses, performers and charities convened on site for the Orchard’s annual Spring Fayre. The event showcased some really cool and interesting aspects of our local Cornish economy, with a vast number of different eco-friendly businesses all on site doing varying demonstrations, samples, tastes, and offering information on a whole host of Kernow made produce.
As a Volunteer, I’m really appreciative of the Orchard staff giving me the chance to photograph the Spring Fayre and interview a number of vendors towards the end of the day.
Photography and journalism are subjects that I have, in the past, had a passion and interest for, having studied at a nationally recognised level. Unfortunately I strayed away from any writing due to my own personal stuff, so I’m genuinely grateful that the Orchard is helping me incorporate some of these aspects of my life into my programme here as a Volunteer.
I would never have had the confidence to be out in public taking photos of an event of this nature and scale, let alone actually going around and speaking to members of the public, getting vox-pop’s, doing interviews and recordings and being out there on the ground actually conversing with total strangers.
Luckily I had mentioned my previous studies and some potential future goals to a member of staff during a coaching session in my early days at Newquay Community Orchard and, fortunately for me, there was no hesitation and a lot of interest for the Orchard to offer up and find ways of introducing aspects of journalism into my overall volunteer goals that I am happy to be working towards.
Getting the push to do this event is just the right sort of positive encouragement I need to get out and about doing something that I’m passionate about, but lacking confidence in.
Being out there and getting stuck in with reporting is really going to help me overcome these anxieties and may even put me down a path where some of these skills gained could potentially become a legit form of employment in the future.
Being the ‘Spring Fayre Roving Reporter’ was an excellent opportunity for me and I really do genuinely appreciate the chance.
Harry
Orchard Blogger