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. Continue reading Lord Provost honours Edinburgh’s inspiring volunteers
The Scottish SPCA celebraed Volunteer Week by giving thanks to volunteers across Scotland. Scotland’s animal welfare charity has highlighted the incredible work of one volunteer in particular, Edinburgh local Muriel Haig. Continue reading Scottish SPCA thanks Muriel for 30 years of volunteering
During Volunteers’ Week (1st to 7th June) Pilton Community Health Project will be celebrating the amazing work that volunteers in the area do. All week we will be posting details of their achievements on facebook. North Edinburgh would be a much poorer place without the efforts of residents who volunteer (writes PCHP’s Anita Aggarwal). Continue reading Health Project celebrates the work of ‘amazing’ volunteers
Samaritans volunteers responded to more than 5.7 million calls for help in 2016, an increase of nearly 300,000 on the previous year. Releasing the figures to coincide with the start of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), the charity says there are a number of reasons for the record high, including making its confidential helpline free to callers. Continue reading Calls to Samaritans reach record high
People from disadvantaged backgrounds will receive training and help to become volunteers, Communities Secretary Angela Constance has revealed at the start of Volunteers’ Week. Continue reading Government commits £1.1m to recruit volunteers
Volunteers were at the heart of a reception hosted by The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, President of St Andrew’s First Aid, to celebrate the opening of their new premises in Leith’s Dock Place during Volunteers’ Week 2013.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual event which takes place from 1 to 7 June each year and helps celebrate the fantastic contribution that millions of volunteers make across the UK. Volunteers’ Week plays a huge part in raising the profile of volunteering in the UK. At the reception which took place on last night (Thursday 6 June), The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry officially recognised some of St Andrew’s First Aid’s most valued volunteers at an awards ceremony.
Jonathon Hughes (pictured above) and Clare Tervit (below) and Julie McLaren all received awards for their First Aid endeavours. Jonathon and Claire each received an award for Outstanding First Aid Contribution after Jonathon performed CPR on a casualty at the scene of a bike accident and Claire assisted with a fatal collapse earlier this year.
Julie (pictured below) received the award for Best Supporter of a Corps Company as she has been instrumental in the establishment of a Cadet section at the West Calder branch of St Andrew’s First Aid.
The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry met volunteers, staff and trustees before viewing a First Aid causality simulation demonstration preformed by the St Andrew’s First Aid Cadets. After the awards presentation and a short talk on the value of volunteering, the Duke officially opened Dock Place, by unveiling a plaque to mark the special occasion.
He said: “I was delighted to have been asked to officially open Dock Place and give some well deserved recognition to some of our most valued volunteers. It was a great pleasure to be able to present awards to the outstanding individuals who, through their skills, enthusiasm and commitment, are a credit to the St Andrew’s First Aid.”
Stuart Callison, Chief Executive, of St Andrew’s First Aid commented: “We have ambitious plans to raise public awareness of the importance of a good knowledge of First Aid, and to recruit new members to our team of volunteer First Aiders, who are a familiar sight at events all across Scotland. Dock Place is a more modern setting for our commercial and volunteering activities, which we have tailored to suit our exact requirements. We are honoured that our President was able to officially open our new premises, which we hope will go a long way to funding our charity work whilst providing room for future growth.”
First Minister Alex Salmond worked alongside longstanding Royal Voluntary Service volunteers at the Western General Hospital yesterday. As part of Volunteers’ Week, the First Minister spent an hour meeting volunteers and staff of the Royal Voluntary Service (formerly known as the WRVS), serving tea at the hospital café and chatting to staff, patients and visitors. The First Minister said that the nation’s volunteers are ‘a true credit to Scotland’.
During the visit Mr Salmond met a number of older volunteers including Margaret Collinson, age 83, Eleanor Taylor, age 79, and Agnes McFarlane, age 88, who between them have given more than 100 years of voluntary service.
The First Minister also encouraged people to nominate volunteers for a Diamond Champion award which recognises and highlights the fantastic, selfless volunteering that is being done by older volunteers across the country.
Mr Salmond said:
“Scotland has a rich tradition of volunteering and community involvement is part of the core fabric of Scottish social and community life. Volunteering represents a huge investment of time, energy and commitment by individuals who want to improve the lives of those around them, give something back and help make their communities better places to live.
“The Royal Voluntary Service volunteers who have given so much of their lives in voluntary service have been inspirational to meet. Not only are these individuals doing a wonderful job in serving those who come to their café, they also get so much out of it for themselves.
“A service like this is not just crucial for those who visit hospital, for patients and their families, nurses, doctors and hospital staff but also for the older volunteers as it provides an opportunity to work together, to socialise and to remain active.
“I am overwhelmed by the commitment and dedication of the volunteers here at the Western General and touched by the care and compassion with which they deliver their roles. Volunteers are a true credit to Scotland and I sincerely thank them for all that they do.”
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David McCullough, Royal Voluntary Service chief executive, (pictured above) said:
“We are delighted to welcome the First Minister to our cafe at the Western General Hospital and introduce him to some of our dedicated volunteers. Volunteers’ Week is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the fantastic work of our army of 7,000 volunteers across Scotland who, without making a fuss or asking for reward, give their time selflessly to others, which is why this week we are launching Diamond Champions our search for volunteers over the age of 60; the hidden gems in our community.
“So if you know an older volunteer who deserves some recognition then please nominate them for this prestigious award. We know that our volunteers make a huge difference to the lives of older people and they themselves also get great satisfaction from the work they do; so it’s win-win!”
Carol Crowther, NHS Lothian’s Assistant Nurse Director Person Centred Care, Quality, Patient Experience & Professional Standards, said:
“The presence of the Royal Voluntary Service volunteers in our hospitals is very welcome and contributes to the overall positive experience for users of our services through the warm and welcoming atmosphere in their cafes and shops and their cheerful attitude toward staff and patients.
“The Royal Voluntary Service outlets on our sites give back proceeds to the hospital from income generated from these outlets. This means that these volunteers not only give their time but their support enables this financial gifting through which we are able to provide additional patient comforts at the Western General Hospital.
“We are very proud of the contribution all our hospital volunteers make. They bring a range of skills and life experiences and are extremely beneficial in the delivery of all our services.”
About Royal Voluntary Service Formerly known as WRVS, Royal Voluntary Service has been helping people in Britain for 75 years. Originally set up as the Women’s Voluntary Service in 1938, the charity played a crucial role during the Second World War. Whilst keeping the same values of community service, Royal Voluntary Service has now focused its work on helping older people to remain independent and get more out of life.
Royal Voluntary Service supports over 100,000 older people to stay independent in their own homes for longer with tailor made solutions. Through its army of 40,000 volunteers, the charity runs services such as Good Neighbours (companionship), Meals-on-Wheels and Books-on-Wheels that alleviate loneliness and help older people. Royal Voluntary Service also provides practical support for older people who have been in hospital through its On Ward Befriending and Home from Hospital services. For further information please go to: www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk
Drylaw Telford Community Council chairman Alex Dale was presented with the Thomas Tierney Award for Good Citizenship at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre last week. Alex was joined by friends and family, members of the Tierney family and community councillors at a short reception to celebrate the event.
Tam Tierney was a celebrated community activist from Wester Drylaw who was heavily involved in many of the positive things that were happening in the Greater Pilton area in the eighties and nineties. Goodness, we are talking about the last century here …
To mention just a few of Tam’s many community activities, he was a mainstay of Pilton Sporting Club, chaired Craigroyston Community Centre, was an active member of Drylaw Telford Community Council and was also part of the steering group – and then a member of the management committee – of Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre which opened in 1995.
Tam’s death came as a real blow; of course to his family, but also to Drylaw and the wider community. After all, Tam was involved in so much: he had huge experience and a legion of useful contacts he’d built up over the years. No-one’s irreplaceable, but Tam’s passing left a considerable void.
Drylaw Telford Community Council wanted to mark Tam’s contribution to community life in Greater Pilton, not only celebrating his achievements but also to try to encourage others to become active within their community. We came up with the idea of the annual Thomas (note the ‘posh’ use of the Sunday name!) Tierney Award for Good Citizenship.
Every year since 2000, the community council has chosen a new recipient of the Award. They are all very different, and each was nominated for a wide variety of reasons. The one thing they have in common, however – indeed the one thing they must have in common – is that they do something that makes the Drylaw Telford neighbourhood a better place to live. Individuals do that in so many ways – helping out as a volunteer with local projects, doing their neighbours’ shopping, supporting local groups by serving on management committees … there are lots of ways to do things for your community.
Last week, Alex Dale became the latest recipient of the award. Alex’s nomination was well-deserved. He first got involved in community activities shortly after his retirement from the Forestry Commission – and I don’t think he’s put his feet up since!
Alex got involved when he opposed a proposal to build houses on designated green spaces in Drylaw, and it was a natural progression that he went on to get involved in the community council’s fledgling Open Space sub-group in 2006.
In the Open Space sub group the community council worked in partnership with other organisations including the Pilton Partnership and Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust to map all of Drylaw Telford’s green spaces, then consulted with local residents to find out what we should try to do with these spaces. It was no small task – indeed, it was the biggest initiative the community council had ever undertaken, by far – but it proved worthwhile, with open spaces in both Easter and Wester Drylaw upgraded with the ongoing support of the city council.
Volunteers like Alex helped to make that Open Space initiative a success, and all that legwork clearly didn’t put him off – he joined the community council at the last elections and became Chair last May. He’s also an active and enthusiastic member of North Edinburgh News’ board of directors.
I’ve never known anyone to have a greater appetite for meetings than Alex. I think he lives by the philosophy: ‘a day without meetings is like a day without sunshine!’ But the key to successful participation at meetings is to understand what is being discussed, make a contribution and then report back in a way that your colleagues can understand – and Alex is excellent at this. Whether it’s Neighbourhood Partnerships, NEP group or Transport Forum, Alex will attend, comprehend and then explain what transpired there. Our community council is now possibly the best informed in Edinburgh!
Diligent, reliable and conscientious may not be exciting adjectives, but activists who possess these qualities are worth their weight in gold; every community needs one and Drylaw Telford is very lucky to have one in Alex.
Dedicated activists are thin on the ground – North Edinburgh has lost two leading lights this year in Billy Anderson and, more recently, Brian Robertson – and it makes you appreciate all the more those unsung heroes who quietly go about their business to make their neighbourhood a better place to live – not for personal gain or reward, but because they care for and about their communities. Commitment like that is needed just as much now as it ever was.
All types of people do still give up their time, joining together to campaign for improvements – often uniting over threats or unwelcome intrusions into their communities, but sometimes coming together to campaign for positive things too: like the upgrading of green spaces or a new Neighbourhood Centre in Drylaw – or the reopening of a community asset like Leith Waterworld. In Drylaw, we can identify with and feel the pain of the Splashback campaigners – we’ve tasted that bitter taste of defeat on occasion too. Community activism can sometimes feel like one step forward, two steps back – but it does mean that, when you do win a small victory, it tastes even sweeter. You remember the ones you win because they don’t come around too often.
So many thanks and congratulations to Alex, indeed to volunteers everywhere – and with community council elections looming let’s hope a few like him can be encouraged to step forward: your community needs you!
