Leading charity Beacon has praised more than 230 loyal volunteers for their support for people living with sight loss across the West Midlands.
The charity’s annual Volunteer of the Year Awards at its Sedgley headquarters saw the vital contribution of Beacon’s helpers recognised with a special tea party in their honour.
Prizes were presented to two groups, with the Bloxwich shop team picking up the Beacon Retail Award, while the Long Knowle Club Volunteers received the Beacon Volunteer of the Year Award.
Arwyn Jones, chief executive of Beacon, said: “The annual awards ceremony allows Beacon to demonstrate gratitude and appreciation to every single one of our dedicated and loyal volunteers.
“The thank you tea party is a lovely occasion, bringing together hundreds of the charity’s supporters for a celebration of their work, as part of national Volunteers Week.
“We currently have 235 people who generously and tirelessly aid the charity through community fundraising, and helping out in our shops or the Sedgley centre. Without them, Beacon would struggle to deliver its vital services to people living with sight loss across this region.”
Beacon staff were asked to nominate worthy volunteers for awards in two categories – Volunteer of the Year and Retail Volunteer of the Year.
“Such was the calibre of nominations this year, it was impossible to single out one individual for each award,” said Arwyn. “So we were delighted to present the prizes to two groups of volunteers, meaning we could honour several helpers at once.”
The Retail Volunteer of the Year award went to Bloxwich shop volunteers Paul Willey, Brenda Birkett and Sue Boxold; while Long Knowle Club Volunteers Maureen Taylor, Beryl Meyrick, Gillian Gogle, Jane Bood, Brenda Osborne, Mavis Davis and Ninder Kaur from Wednesfield picked up the Beacon Volunteer of the Year award.
Anyone interested in volunteering opportunities at Beacon can contact the Volunteer Co-ordinator at the centre on 01902 880111.