More than fifty of Edinburgh’s most “Inspiring” volunteers were honoured by Frank Ross, Rt. Hon. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, at a special awards ceremony during #VolunteersWeekScot. Inspiring Volunteer of the Year is Thistle Foundation’s Malcolm Scullion.
Edinburgh’s Annual Inspiring Volunteer Awards, now in its twelfth year, reflect the huge range of organisations and individuals who give their time freely to work with city’s vibrant charity and non-profit sectors.
This year’s awardees include: a keen sportsperson who organises a jogging group for migrants and refugees; a massage therapist; an IT instructor; a befriender providing care and support to the elderly; and a group of skilled crafters who design and build things for other charities.
The recipient of the Lord Provost’s Inspiring Volunteer of the Year Award 2018 is Malcolm Scullion, Media Volunteer (Development Team) with Thistle Foundation.
Clare Stephen, Development Officer at Thistle Foundation said: “After coming to Thistle and finding the support needed, Malcolm started volunteering to help others at Thistle while managing his own recovery.
Malcolm continuously looks for new ways to contribute and has taken on a wide range of volunteering roles over the last three years; providing peer support on Lifestyle Management courses, volunteering at events, media projects with Thistle’s development team, creating audio-visual material to help show the work Thistle does, recording our ‘Bit of a Blether’ podcasts; co-founded and facilitating our creative writing group – Scribblers, and setting up the group’s Facebook page so those who can’t attend can keep up-to-date and feel included.
“Malcolm’s also compiled an anthology of the group’s creative work to bring it to a wider audience, and supports outreach events across numerous venues too.
“Each role undertaken has been incredibly valuable and Malcolm’s eagerness to support others comes through in everything he does. Recently the most significant and powerful gift Malcolm has given, is the sharing of his personal story in a high profile fundraising campaign. It’s a huge decision to take, and demonstrates the passion and belief Malcolm has to help others face life after a devastating diagnosis.
“The story challenges the assumption that conditions such as brain haemorrhages don’t affect young people, and that long-term conditions are a concern for older rather than for younger people. Malcolm hopes sharing his story will help people facing their own health challenges, of all ages, to feel less alone, and to know there is support out there for them. It’s an incredibly selfless undertaking.”
Frank Ross, Rt. Hon. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh said: “This event allows me on behalf of the people of Edinburgh to recognise the 35% of the city’s residents who regularly give their time and efforts for the benefit of others within our communities.
“Selecting the Inspiring Volunteer of the Year is, as always, extremely challenging however, it is clear that Malcolm Scullion certainly is an ‘Inspiring Volunteer’ and worthy of the 2018 Award.”
Linda Hamilton, Trustee of Volunteer Edinburgh said: “These Awards are a way to celebrate the wide range of people who volunteer and the positive difference volunteering makes across the City every day.
“We are delighted that the Lord Provost continues to recognise how important volunteers are to Edinburgh through this key initiative.”
Paul Wilson, Chief Officer of Volunteer Edinburgh: “The volunteers that are receiving awards this year come from all walks of life, have a whole range of skills and abilities and make their impact in a huge variety of ways.
“This is true of course of the many thousands of volunteers across Edinburgh, each of whom makes a powerful and unique difference by choosing to volunteer. We’d like to thank each and every one of those volunteers for being truly inspiring and making our city a better place to live and work.”
The award ceremony was organised by Volunteer Edinburgh.
https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/
Details of all the 2018 Awardees and a short film are published online.
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