Volunteers from across our local area have been recognised at an awards celebration held in Morecambe.
Lancaster District CVS’s biennial celebration of volunteers and volunteering saw more than 100 nominations across six award categories and two recognition categories.
This year was a record year for nominations, including 26 individuals nominated for the Volunteer of the Year Award.
The ceremony at the Midland Hotel was compered by Shannon Nuttall and Niran Abeysuriya, two young people from More Music, who took a room of almost 150 people through some inspirational stories and presentations.
Winners this year were:
- Volunteer of the Year – Hannah Lodge from Let’s BeFriends
- Young Volunteer of the Year – Ellie Pullen from Stanley’s Community Centre, Morecambe
- Trustee of the Year – Suhir Abuhajar from Naba Arabic School
- Fundraiser of the Year – Lorraine Thompson from Morecambe Winter Gardens
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Geoff Parker from Carnforth Rotary Club
- The Roger Sherlock Community Inspiration Award – Jenny Armer from Ryelands Community Association
All nominees in each category received a certificate of recognition and each winner received a trophy. A number of other people also received individual certificates of recognition or certificates recognising the work of small groups or teams of volunteers.
Councillor Roger Dennison, mayor of Lancaster, presented most of the certificates and awards.
Below, Hannah Lodge receives her Volunteer of the Year award from Clark Kent, a representative of Guy Penn, a local insurance company.
The Young Volunteer of the Year Award was presented by Wes Johnson, outgoing principal of Lancaster and Morecambe College.
The Fundraiser of the Year Award was presented by Rebecca Stevens, a representative of Banks Lyon Memorial Trust.
“It’s an absolute privilege to organise these awards," said Mark Waddington, volunteer centre manager.
"Hearing about the incredible work being done by volunteers across the district is humbling and being able to celebrate that work just makes everything we do for this even so worthwhile. All of our nominees this year change lives for the better, they should all be very proud of what they achieve.”
Lancaster District Community Voluntary Solutions (LDCVS) is a registered charity founded in 1972.
It guides, represents and supports more than 500 charities across the Lancaster District.
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