Regional Award - 17 July 2008
Rod Paterson collecting award
Photo from WRVS Heritage Plus Archive
Heritage Awards - Reading Town Hall
Photo from WRVS Heritage Plus Archive
Fantastic news from Sussex where volunteers from WRVS' Heritage Plus projects have become regional winners in the Nationwide Community and Heritage Awards.
Veronica and Rod represent East Sussex
Rod Patterson, WRVS Heritage Plus volunteer in Portslade, East Sussex and project co-ordinator Veronica Payne from Eastbourne, represented the projects at the awards ceremony held at Reading Town Hall on 17 July where the prizes just kept coming!
The Heritage Plus won the Regional Award along with £100 worth of leisure vouchers and a nomination award for the National Selection with £250 vouchers.
Rod who has given the most volunteer hours to Heritage Plus, along with eight other volunteers from the project will each receive part of the £100 leisure prize in honour of the various roles they take on and their dedication.
Rod has undertaken training with the project and works closely with his project co-ordinator Nicola Benge, to facilitate activity workshops. He has facilitated activities at the WRVS centre in Portslade, and three sheltered accommodation venues throughout Brighton. He has also found time to help at publicity events, performances and given talks and run quizzes.
Thank you party
The £250 vouchers will be put towards food, drink and gifts for a special volunteer thank you party that is being organised for November so that all the volunteers can get to see their award, congratulate each other and meet up socially after all their hard work.
In addition, WRVS were also given £500 to give to a charity of our choice - this money will be given to our WRVS community centres.
Heritage Plus project manager Kirsty Henshall said: "This is brilliant and a real tribute to all the volunteers across the project and I'm delighted that they will all be able to share in the award when we have our thank you party in November.
"Our volunteers undertake such varied roles including, trainers, activity facilitators, writing up people's memories and stories during activities, website editors, minute takers for advisory groups, photographers and oral history interviewers.
"Thank you to everyone who helps at the projects, you make such a difference to people's lives."
Watch this space for all the news from the national finals of the Nationwide Heritage Awards ceremony which will take place at the Tower of London on 11 November.