After a great start to the celebrations with our social event we went on to celebrate our incredible volunteers at the Oakland Village in Swadlincote. We were delighted to welcome over 100 attendees made up from volunteers, community groups, corporate partners and our own team.
The event consisted of an afternoon tea, a presentation of our new volunteer video, and awards in a number of categories.
It was incredible to celebrate our diverse range of volunteers and recognise their outstanding contribution to our community. The awards were proudly presented by our Interim CEO and Chair of the Board of Trustees.
The Winners!
Niamh Power was the winner of our New Volunteer Award after demonstrating an outstanding commitment and contribution to volunteering during the last 12months.
Our Big Heart Award went to the volunteers of the Maple Tree Community Café in Repton. The volunteers at the café help to facilitate incredible dementia friendly events and invest their profits into a huge range of community causes.
Our Personal Achievement Award was presented to Teresa Kelly who has been a vital volunteer within our Food Bank whilst overcoming personal challenges. She is a hugely valued member of the food bank team with an amazing friendly and approachable attitude.
Our Corporate Volunteer Engagement Award was presented to Waldon Telecom for their amazing work with the St George and St Marys Church Community Garden Project. We also presented a special recognition award to Price Waterhouse Coopers for their brilliant work with Findern Footpaths and Conservation Group.
Our Lifelong Commitment to Volunteering Award was presented to Jane German for 15 years of dedication to a number of services at SDCVS. Recognition was also given to Peter Crick (17 years of service) and to David Moyle (15 years of service) for their incredible contribution.
Our Volunteer of the Year ‘Runner Up’ Award was proudly presented to Malcolm Harris. Malcolm joined our Befriending Team in 2021 in search of a career change to follow his passion to work within a mental health support role. Not only has he gained confidence whilst volunteering with us, but we are delighted to share that Malcolm achieved his goal and is now a Mental Health Recovery Worker for a local charity.
Finally, we were delighted to present our…
Volunteer of the Year Award to Alan Hillier.
Alan joined CVS as a Community Connector volunteer during the pandemic as he wanted to address the digital divide and social exclusion in his local community. After securing Social Connect funding, he created and distributed the Newhall Community Directory to 5000 households.
Not only did the directory provide specialist advice, but also provided valuable information and guidance of support services to residents as well as promoting local social groups and activities to those experiencing loneliness and isolation post pandemic.