Mayors Parlour Event

VVB Says thank you to volunteers

Jill Olliver receiving her certificate from Cllr Colin Osbourne

On the 22nd of August, the Vale Volunteer Bureau (VVB) held its 6th annual Volunteer Awards Event -  an event hosted by the Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan – Cllr Colin Osborne.

In June we celebrated Volunteers Week which is a national celebration of volunteers and volunteering which takes place from 1 – 7 June of each year.

Volunteers Week plays a huge part in raising the profile of the millions of volunteers who regularly contribute to their communities, while inspiring others to get involved too.

Organisations celebrated volunteer’s week in a variety of ways. Some organised events such as a BBQ’s or Picnics, while others used the week to raise the profile of volunteering. However, the most popular choice for saying thank you has been to present volunteers with a certificate, recognising their contribution and dedication to volunteering. Organisations  have nominated volunteers for a variety of reasons, from long service through to the positive impact individual volunteers have had on the organisation. Each organisation will have a different reason for wanting to say thank you to their volunteers.

Some of the volunteers have been nominated by organisations for the WCVA Volunteer of the Year Awards and are being recognized for their initiative, dedication or their personal qualities. Every year the standard of the nominations increases, so it was decided that all nominees would receive a certificate of high commendation and that within each category there would be over-all winners.

At the event, we awarded volunteers with their certificates from the following categories:

  • Adult
  • Young Person
  • Trustee

 

The first person to receive their award in this category was John Haggitt who is a volunteer for an organisation called Tools with a Mission. One of the many reasons John was nominated was because of the way in which he has handled and encouraged the growth of the organisation in SE Wales. All of which he has done in his retirement and unpaid.

The next person to be nominated from the adult category was Neil Chadwick who volunteers for 3 different organisations namely Gwirforce, St John’s Ambulance and the Scouts. Neil is being nominated for his award by Gwirforce and here is what they think of him………

“Neil is an inspirational person he is always willing to give his time up to help people. More people should be like Neil – if they were then the world would be a better place!”

The next person to be nominated from this category is Jill Oliver who volunteers in a basic skills class for visually impaired people. Jan Best, the college tutor felt that Jill should be nominated for an award because “Without Jill, the class would not be able to function properly as she provides dedicated 121 support. She is always of a cheery disposition and this is why I decided to nominate her.”

The final person to be nominated from the adult category is Sharon Hodgson who volunteers with Gibbonsdown & Court Communities First. Sharon supports a wide range of community projects including the local good neighbour scheme, grassroots project and the allotment group. This is what they think of Sharon “ she is extremely reliable and her enthusiasm is second to none and is always prepared to go that extra mile.”

The first person to receive their award in the Young Person’s category was Charlotte Harris who volunteered with missionary projects through Bethel Baptist Church. Charlotte has volunteered in India helping to teach children in their school. The reason that Charlotte was nominated for this award was because of her age – she was only 15 when she went to India and her commitment to want to make a difference to improve the lives of young disadvantaged children and young people is outstanding.

The next person to receive their award was Liam Tanner who volunteers for Barry YMCA. Liam helps with coaching gymnastic classes with children age 4-10 years. Liam was nominated for this award because he has a passion for gymnastics, and is a good coach for the future and deserves to be recognized for his efforts within the club.

We were delighted to have an overall winner in the Trustee category who is Frank Learner. Frank started as a Treasurer trustee with the community foundation in Wales. He has been able to provide excellent tutoring in all aspects of financial administration of a small charity with a large responsibility for grant management across Wales. Frank has developed strong relationships with everyone in the organisation. However, over the last year he has been instrumental in moving the organisation forward to make that step change and has gone beyond the call of duty in ensuring the organisation goes from strength to strength.