A DERBY man is encouraging others to volunteer in their local community as a UK-wide initiative is launched to mark the coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort.
Kul Mahay is a leadership expert who spent more than 30 years working for Derbyshire Constabulary. He regularly volunteers for Derby City Council-backed careers programme E4E, participating in mock interviews with secondary school pupils in the city, and is backing The Big Help Out; which will encourage people across the country to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas.
It will take place on Monday, May 8 after the coronation on Saturday, May 6.
“The Big Help Out is a great initiative and I’m proud to be doing my bit for the community,” said Kul.
“It’s quick and easy to register and the website looks at your location and lists those charities and organisations who need a little help.”
Kul has signed up to volunteer with three local organisations.
He will be taking part in the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks in Mickleover on May 8 – a national charity dedicated to removing barriers so that everyone can enjoy walking in green spaces – helping out on the Micro Brew Community Radio in Burton between May and December and, later in the year, Kul has volunteered to help with general support and maintenance at the Scropton Horse Centre.
Scropton Horse Centre works with people who have a range of disabilities; physical, learning, sensory, multiple and profound, and are extending their reach to those with mental health problems, too.
He said: “Volunteering is so rewarding; it gives you that feel-good factor and can boost both your physical and mental health.”
As well as volunteering for E4E, Kul worked with DKMS – an international charity fighting blood cancer and other blood disorders – to arrange for a swab donation session at a Derby temple, back in 2013.
Patients from black, Asian or other minority backgrounds have a 37% chance of finding the best possible stem cell donor match, compared to 72 % for northern European backgrounds.
From the session organised by Kul, Derby woman Hardeep Bains was found to be a match for a sick boy in India. Hardeep went on to make a stem cell donation and save the life of little Ritesh, who she met up with in 2017.
“We had a great turn-out in Derby,” said Kul, “the feedback was so positive and from that session, Hardeep went on to become a donor for Ritesh, saving his life.
“He was suffering from a rare blood condition that meant he was having blood transfusions every two weeks and now he is a fit and healthy youngster living in Bhiwani, India.”
This year is set to be a busy one for Kul, who has launched his own YouTube channel called Human Centred Leadership and will feature all the videos he created as part of his podcast by the same name.
He is writing a book, to be published late Autumn, and is currently working on a leadership programme for young people, to encourage them to feel more confident when speaking in public.
Kul hopes to achieve external accreditation for the course that he will deliver to schools and parents across the country. The format will be loosely based upon Kul’s successful Create & Speak course which was recently held at Derby Conference Centre and saw 10 middle-to-senior leaders graduate to become fully accredited Associate Members of the Institute of Leadership Management.
“The event – the first delivered in-person since the coronavirus pandemic – was really well received and we’ve already had interest in running another course later in the year,” said Kul, “the transformation in the attendees in just 25 hours was incredible and delegates now have access to more than 400 hours of excellent leadership development content going forward to help them continue their journey.”
