Volunteer of the Year Awards 2010
As part of National Volunteers Week we held a very special event at Rochdale Town Hall on Thursday 3rd June to celebrate the efforts of people who have given their own time to help others throughout the Borough during the last year. Over 150 people attended the event and every single one of the individuals and groups that were nominated received a certificate. The winners of each of the 5 categories also received a special trophy and a gift voucher as a little thank you for their fantastic efforts. Once the speech’s and presentations were complete everyone enjoyed a buffet and a chance to swap stories about their own volunteering experiences.
Young Volunteer.
The ‘Young Volunteer of the Year’ award was won by Kevin Whitehead who does Sport Volunteering with Link 4 Life. Whilst volunteering Kevin has gained several qualifications that have enabled him to develop his own skills which he now passes on to the youngsters he works with. Kevin has previously been through a difficult time but has turned his life around with his voluntary work and he always puts 100% effort into everything he does.
Older Volunteer
The winner of the ‘Older Volunteer of the Year’ award was Kevin Davis who undertakes voluntary work for The Carers’ Resource. Kevin facilitates the Male Carers’ group which he does with unmatched dedication and enthusiasm. The group provides a vital support tool to male carers throughout the borough. Kevin donates many hours of his own time despite being a full time carer himself. However Kevin will always put his needs to one side to help out others and he was nominated for this award to help make sure all his hard work gets the ‘thank you’ and recognition it deserves.
Group of Volunteers
The ‘Group of Volunteers Award’ was this year received by the Argos Community Team based at Heywood Distribution Centre. The group are made up of members of staff who work on community projects in their own time but with the support of Argos. This year the group have worked on a number of community projects throughout Heywood but one particular project caught the eye of the judging panel. The group have completely revamped both the interior and exterior of the Darnhill Boxing Club. This work has transformed the club beyond recognition which is now thriving as a result of the work done.
Best Youth Volunteer Involving Organisation
Heywood Youth Link based at Old Hucky’s collected the prize for ‘Best Youth Volunteer Involving Organisation’. The group receives no funding and is run entirely by volunteers. The young people who attend Heywood Youth Link are encouraged to be actively involved in the running of the group. The judging panel were particularly impressed with some of the comments made by the young people and could tell that the work done has been amazing and that the group has had a positive impact on young people that will hopefully have long term benefits on the whole community.
Volunteer of the Year
This year the prestigious title of ‘Volunteer of the Year’ went to Michael Badman of Middleton who volunteers with Addiction and Dependency Solutions. Michael has overcome his own problems to get to a position where he is able to volunteer many hours of his own time to help out with both one-to-one befriending and support groups. Michael has helped get some of the most difficult and desperate members of society back on their feet and it would not be an exaggeration to say that Michael has quite possibly helped to save the lives of some of the people he has worked with. In addition to his voluntary work Michael also supports his wife with her disabilities but yet he always manages to smile and find the time to help others yet will always take a back seat when praise is being handed out.