Outstanding Staffordshire volunteers crowned at award ceremony
Outstanding volunteers from around the county were honoured at a special award ceremony on Friday 30th March.
The 2012 Volunteer Staffordshire Awards crowned individual volunteers, teams and organisations supporting volunteers at a gala awards night at Alton Towers Resort Hotel.
The winners were:
The event was the culmination of a joint call from Staffordshire County Council and Volunteer Centres Staffordshire to the public to nominate the people that make a real difference in local communities. More than 730 volunteers where nominated in this year’s Awards, which is more than twice the number of people that were nominated last year.
Staffordshire County Councillor Pat Corfield, Cabinet member for Culture, Communities and Customers said: “I would like to congratulate all of our volunteers and thank them for all the selfless work that they carry out in their communities.
The independent panel of judges were delighted with the standard of entries in all of the categories, but the winners really did stand out.
“Their volunteering work is marvellous and it shouldn’t be underestimated how much they have contributed to their local area and Staffordshire. Their efforts help to make Staffordshire the great place it is to live and work and they deserve the highest praise.
“The awards reflect the wide range of ways that people are making a real and vital difference to the community. I am very proud of our winners and all the other volunteers who were nominated. We truly appreciate the amazing work that they all do for the people of Staffordshire.”
The aim of the awards was to celebrate and thank Staffordshire’s unsung volunteer heroes, and the people that help and support them, and inspire other people to give a little of their time to volunteer in their local area.
Nicky Burns, speaking on behalf of Volunteer Centres Staffordshire, said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to recognise volunteers throughout Staffordshire in this way.
“Volunteers touch many people’s lives and many of the stories we heard at the awards ceremony highlight how Staffordshire is a much better place because of these wonderful people.
“But we’ve also seen how by volunteering your time, even for just a couple of hours a week, really benefits you; personally, socially and in your work and career.
The volunteer centres across the county are there to help people find the right voluntary roles for them. There’s hundreds of opportunities available right now right across Staffordshire and our volunteer professionals are waiting to support people into a role that not only helps the community, but also helps to develop that person’s professional, personal and transferable skills.
Volunteering is a wonderful thing to do for yourself and for your community.”
Providing the entertainment on the night was the Staffordshire Youth Jazz Orchestra, an exciting 20 piece jazz ensemble made up of musicians aged 11-21 from across Staffordshire. They entertained the audience with a mixed repertoire of big band classics, such as Basie, Herman and Miller, as well as modern jazz repertoire from the 70's onwards.