Volunteer Week Profiles - Eventing

In celebration of Volunteer Week 2021, we have reached out to our discipline chairs, who give up their time as volunteers to fill these roles. We dug under the surface to discover more about these wonderful people who dedicate so much of their time to keeping our sport running.

Eventing Chair: Des Hughes

• Apart from your role as an EA Official and Chair of the National Eventing Committee, which in its self is a lot of volunteering, how else are you involved as a volunteer?

DH: Running Central Control, at events or taking on a Sector Controller role.

• Do you also volunteer outside the equestrian world? If so how?

DH: No, but I do support my grandson’s basketball.

• As Chair of the National Eventing Committee, why would you encourage people to get involved as a volunteer in equestrian sport?

DH: You get a great buzz out of helping out in a sport that we all love.

It's also fantastic how many wonderful lifetime friends you make when you volunteer.

• What has been one of your best experiences as a volunteer?

DH: I guess the pinnacle for me was being appointed by the FEI to TD the Senior European Championships at Blair Castle in Scotland, where Her Majesty came and presented the Medals.

• Would you like to say anything particular to all the amazing volunteers in our sport?

DH: Thank you, thank you. We all know that without the support of so many fantastic volunteers, our sport simply would not exist.

Rain hail or shine our volunteers turn up to support the events and that’s just one thing that makes them all so special.