I’m Callum, a graduate on the Commercial Marketing grad scheme and am currently on my first rotation working within the Content and Events team.
Who are you and what do you do?
Tell us what you’ve been up to
I’ve just moved to Bristol specifically for the grad scheme actually, and so a lot of my time recently has been spent exploring the city and really getting to know my new home. I’ve been going on long walks, visiting landmarks and also been making sure I find a good takeaway restaurants! A lot of my energy recently has actually been focused on fundraising. While Movember has brought a lot of fun comparing tash’s (or lack thereof) with some of the other guys taking part, I have also just signed up for the BT Gradventure fundraising campaign and will be taking part and organising loads of different events over the coming months for a great charity called TeenTech.
How many people were involved? And how much did you raise?
We reached out to some of the current Graduates across the UK, this equated to about 90 employees within the business. Not all took part in growing a moustache, but they were all active in helping us raise money, a lot of them donated and helped promote the cause across social media. After initially setting a fundraising target of £200, we raised a huge total of £610, more than tripling our target!
How easy was it to get other grads/ apprentices involved?
So easy! Everyone was more than willing to help out and we had some great messages of encouragement on the Movember team page. There were also a few internal chats that the grads have set up and we were often getting asked how the ‘growing’ was going!
Why did you decide to organise this?
Movember is a fantastic charity, and every year when November rolls around, I find that it’s become common for people to relate this to men growing a moustache and a bit of facial hair, because of the prominence and success of this campaign over the years. However, what isn’t as clear is what the Movember charity as an organisation actually help with. Movember helps to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer, and is also huge in supporting mental health in men.
When you consider Movember’s key fundraising month coinciding with a second national lockdown in England, with numerous other forms of restrictions across the UK, it really is a vital time to get support into the hands of those that need it – and this charity is a promising way to achieve this.
Tell us about the grad/ apprentice community
The grad/apprentice community within BT is full to the brim with potential. There are so many incredibly clever individuals that form this group and it is so exciting to be part of a group that can offer so much to BT, now and in the future. Whilst we are only meeting virtually right now, a lot of us have already grown quite close and it isn’t uncommon to speak to numerous other grads on a daily basis. Reaching out to ask for advice, expertise, or just to have a chat and a catch-up, the community is really great at supporting one another.
