Age UK Volunteers awarded with Solihull Civic Honours!
Published on 16 October 2019 03:46 PM
A prestigious local award has been given to Age UK Solihull Volunteers at this year's Solihull Civic Honours Awards Ceremony.
The Community Involvement Award was presented by the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Stuart Davis, recognising the fantastic contribution of the charity's 300 volunteers.
Age UK Solihull Volunteer Co-ordinator, Catherine Gulati, said "The dedication of our volunteers is astounding and they helped over 3500 Solihull residents last year. Many people have been volunteering every week for years. It is particularly impressive that 17 people have volunteered for over 15 years, 24 for over 10 years and 50 for over 5 years. It is wonderful that their efforts have been celebrated with this award."
Our volunteers support people in so many ways:
- Volunteers transform people's lives by addressing loneliness through weekly befriending visits, running social clubs, telephone befriending and helping people to claim Attendance Allowance benefits.
- Volunteer helpers and drivers at our exercise classes help older people to regain independence and reduce falls.
- Volunteers welcome visitors to our Community Advice Hubs (for anyone over the age of 18), connect them to services and Winter Warmth advice.
- Volunteers drive forward our fundraising in our charity shops and at our events, and support our office administration and our research project.
- The Trustees overseeing the charity are also volunteers.
With the support of volunteers and staff, Age UK Solihull helped over 10,000 Solihull residents last year.
Robert Elliot from Hogarths Hotel, who sponsored the award, gave a speech at the Awards Ceremony, thanking the volunteers for their support for the local community. The award was received on behalf of the volunteers by Nicky Robinson, Trustee, Befriender and Fundraiser, Marian Singles, Attendance Allowance Volunteer and Victoria Whitehouse, Community Advice Hub Volunteer.
Official photos of the Awards Ceremony will follow. Pictured above with the award are Nicky Robinson, and Catherine Gulati, Volunteer Co-ordinator.
We always need to recruit new volunteers, so anyone interested is encouraged to contact Catherine Gulati on volunteering@ageuksolihull.