WORTHY WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT VOLUNTEER AWARDS 2019

Volunteers who go above and beyond to support their communities have been recognised at an awards ceremony which celebrated teams and individuals from across the Humber region.

The Volunteer Awards 2019, delivered by HEY Smile Foundation and partners, gave an opportunity for organisations who benefit from volunteers to join forces with public services and say ‘Thank you’ to all those who give their time to benefit others.

The event took place on October 16^th at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Hull in the form of a celebratory Sparkling Afternoon Tea awards ceremony. It was supported by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Nisa Retail’s Making a Difference Locally charity and a host of award sponsors.

There were 9 awards plus a special Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award.

A panel of judges made up of event partners and sponsors had the difficult task of narrowing almost 100 nominations down to three shortlisted entrants and ultimately one winner in each category. Nominations came from all areas of the community, from revitalising green spaces and waterways to supporting lunch clubs to help beat loneliness and isolation.

Kate Carroll, head of Nisa Retail’s Making a Difference Locally charity said: “We were delighted to be able to support the inaugural Humber Volunteer Awards and be involved in the awards’ judging. The nominations were humbling; the time and commitment that people give to help others is inspirational. We’re so pleased to see so many of the deserving winners getting the recognition they deserve.”

Across the Humber, volunteers are a driving force in thousands of weekly activities, care, training, safety, awareness and vitally being on hand to provide time, comfort and reassurance to many in our region at a time of most vulnerability.

Brian Pickles, Development & Implementation Lead at East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: “Volunteers are an essential element in any community, they don’t just bring their good intentions, they also bring a wealth of community knowledge, connections and contacts which makes them valuable members of their communities but also they are also the glue that helps bind it together and make it stronger”

Andrew Barber, Chief Executive of HEY Smile Foundation said: “We know that volunteers do the most amazing things, often in a very unassuming manner. The support from partners and the number of nominations we have received has meant that we can unite the public, private and voluntary sectors so we can all say thank you together. We’re proud to be able to shine a light on the region’s volunteers and hope this event will be the start of something extremely special annually which is owned by the community, not just one organisation.”

Award winners are as follows:

Good Neighbour

Awarded to Kingfisher Café Volunteers