Latest news with #VolunteerAward
Daily Record
19 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Record
West Lothian volunteer recognised for hard work with local kids initiative
Donna Watson from Livingston, received a £100 Gift Card from The Centre, Livingston in recognition of her 10th anniversary as a volunteer with the social enterprise, Kidzeco during Volunteers Week. A West Lothian volunteer has been recognised for her hard work at a local kids initiative. Donna Watson from Livingston, received a £100 Gift Card from The Centre, Livingston in recognition of her 10th anniversary as a volunteer with the social enterprise, Kidzeco during Volunteers Week. The Centre, Livingston Volunteer Award is part of the shopping centre's 'Support in the Community' initiative, established almost 10 years ago, to pay tribute to people like Donna who are doing an outstanding job helping other people in the local community and reward them for all their efforts. Kidzeco, which has a team of 35, including 20 volunteers, who like Donna give up their time every week to help the social enterprise, was founded by Tracy Murdoch in 2010, with the aim of enhancing the happiness, health, and resilience of parents and children in the local area and empowering them for a better future. Their focus is to support disadvantaged families in West Lothian by providing services and facilities that build skills, confidence and wellbeing. Kidzeco, which has a retail outlet at the shopping centre, offers affordable, high-quality pre-loved goods, including baby clothes, toys and essentials like prams and highchairs, promoting a circular economy by tracking waste diversion and CO2 reduction. The social enterprise also creates local job opportunities, particularly for those distant from the job market. As a social enterprise profits are reinvested back into the community to run various projects including the Bumpz 2 Babiez café in Whitburn community centre, every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm and the Bumpz 2 Babiez café, 'Kidz n Kin', at the shopping centre every Thursday between 10am to 3pm, both for parents with children under two. Donna, who marks her 10th volunteering anniversary at Kidzeco this year, was nominated by the Retail Operations Manager, Steph Forsyth, in recognition of her outstanding dedication over the past decade. Steph said: 'Donna is very deserving of this Volunteer Award in recognition of her enthusiasm, attention to detail, reliability and genuine passion for everything we do at Kidzeco. 'Over the years, Donna has taken on a wide range of tasks, from customer service to keyholding, processing and filtering donations and pricing. 'Her current role is to look after our preloved clothing section, ensuring all items are of the highest quality - clean, refreshed and steamed - before they reach the shop floor. 'In addition to her hands-on work, Donna is also a tremendous support to new volunteers and staff. With her deep knowledge of our processes, she's always ready to answer questions, offer guidance or demonstrate tasks to help others feel confident in their roles. 'Most recently, during our restructure and store refit, Donna went above and beyond - she even increased her hours to help ensure we were ready for our grand reopening. 'Her dedication is truly invaluable and highly commendable - we are incredibly grateful to have her as part of the team and can't thank her enough.' Donna said: 'I absolutely love volunteering with Kidzeco because I believe in everything they stand for as an organisation and really enjoy giving something back to the community. 'As a parent, shopping there is a lovely experience – it doesn't feel like a typical preloved store, there's real care in how everything is displayed. 'I was so excited and honoured to get this Award in recognition of my efforts – it's nice to know my contributions make a difference." Tracy said: 'Volunteers are the golden thread woven through everything we do at Kidzeco — they are the heart of our services, and we simply couldn't operate without them. 'Each and every volunteer brings something unique and valuable, and we are truly grateful for their time, passion, and dedication. 'Donna has been an incredible part of our team for the past 10 years, and her commitment has made a real difference. We're genuinely grateful to have her as part of the Kidzeco team and deeply appreciate everything she brings to our work and our community.' Tess Sundberg, Marketing Manager at The Centre, Livingston said: 'We are delighted to be able to pay tribute to Donna with our special Volunteer Award for all of her outstanding efforts at Kidzeco. 'It was great to hear about her role and the incredible impact she is making in the local community. 'If you know someone who is also going the extra mile and making a big difference helping people in West Lothian, please email The Centre, Livingston at enquiries@ and share their story with us so that we can shine a bright light on the great work they are doing.'
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
West Lothian mental health counsellor receives volunteer award from The Centre, Livingston
Jodi McNeill is a counsellor at S.M.I.L.E. Counselling in Livingston. Local superstar, Jodi McNeill has been awarded a well-deserved Volunteer Award and a £100 gift card by The Centre, Livingston in recognition of her outstanding work in the community. The aim of the Award, which has been running for many years, is to reward and recognise the fantastic work carried out by people in West Lothian who give up their time to help others and pay tribute to them with a personalised framed certificate and gift card to treat themselves. Jodi is a counsellor at S.M.I.L.E. Counselling in Livingston. S.M.I.L.E. was the shopping centre's first charity partner of the year, was founded 10 years ago by Declan Harrigan, to promote and support the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 11 to 24 in West Lothian by providing free and affordable counselling, ensuring young people can access the right support at the right time. The services provided include face-to-face sessions to help with mental health challenges, including anxiety, trauma, and stress and also group sessions to promote mental health awareness and resilience in young people and their families. The charity also partners with schools to provide on-site counselling, workshops and mental health education. Jodi, who has been volunteering with the charity for almost two years, works with children and young people to support them through the many challenges they are facing with their mental health and wellbeing. Her role includes providing one-to-one support, delivering group work, helping out at events and taking part in wider community engagement initiatives. Kerry Hutchison, Schools Counsellor Team Leader at S.M.I.L.E. Counselling, who nominated Jodi, said: 'Jodi's natural ability to connect, listen and respond to young people with empathy makes her a vital part of our team. 'From one-to-one support to leading group sessions and representing S.M.I.L.E. at community events, Jodi goes above and beyond, which is why I wanted to nominate her for this amazing award. 'She truly embodies our values and continues to have a lasting impact on both the young people and the wider community.' Jodi said: 'Volunteering at S.M.I.L.E. Counselling, with a team that's so passionate and dedicated to helping young people, has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. 'The role offers me the chance to volunteer in lots of different ways. No two days are ever the same, and that variety is a big part of what makes this experience so meaningful and rewarding. 'What I really love most about it, is being able to make a genuine difference in a young person's life. Seeing the positive changes, no matter how small, and knowing you've helped someone feel heard and supported is an incredible feeling. 'There's a real sense of community in the work we do, and I'm constantly inspired by the resilience and strength of the young people I meet. 'Some of the highlights for me include those special moments when a young person reaches a breakthrough, or when they come back and tell you how much the support has meant to them. 'I would like to say a huge thank you to the team for nominating me which means so much and to The Centre, Livingston for presenting me with this wonderful award and gift card – it was such a lovely surprise! Tess Sundberg, marketing manager at The Centre, Livingston said: 'It was such an honour to be able to present our Volunteer Award and Gift Card to Jodi in recognition of the incredible work she has been doing to help young people in the community and hear more about the valuable services and support the charity provides. 'If you know someone who is also going the extra mile and making a big difference helping people in West Lothian, please contact us so that we shine a bright light on them and reward them for all of their efforts.' To mark the charity's 10th anniversary this year, S.M.I.L.E. Counselling have launched a new fundraising campaign, 'Your £10, Their Tomorrow', to encourage people to donate £10 a month to help safeguard a vital mental health service for children and young people for the next 10 years and beyond. For more information about the services and support, and the latest fundraising campaign, check out their website, All nominations for The Centre, Livingston Volunteer Award can be emailed to enquiries@
BBC News
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Star panel revealed for BBC Radio Stoke Make A Difference Awards
An all-star panel of judges has been announced for this year's BBC Radio Stoke Make A Difference across all eight categories close at 17:00 BST on year's judges include an Olympic gold medallist and a former Blue Peter presenter as well as a host of actors and TV stars. Among them The Great Pottery Throw Down presenter Keith Brymer Jones and They Think It's All Over's Nick award ceremony will take place later this year at the Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent. The full list of categories this year is:The Volunteer Award, judged by The Great Pottery Throw Down presenter Keith Brymer Jones, is awarded to an individual who makes a notable difference to their community by giving their time voluntarily to help Young Hero Award, judged by track and field athlete and sports presenter Jazmin Sawyers, will be awarded to someone under 16 who has made a positive impact in their community or achieved something Great Neighbour Award, judged by actor and TV presenter Nick Hancock, is awarded to an individual who helps to make the neighbourhood a better place to live or work in, either on a regular basis or through a single act of Active Award, judged by trampoline gold medal-winning Olympian Bryony Page, awarded to an individual or group of people who have used physical activity or sport as a way of improving the lives of those in their Animal Award, judged by former Blue Peter presenter Anthea Turner, is awarded to either a remarkable animal that improves people's lives or an individual or group of people who improve the welfare of Green Award, judged by explorer, author, and documentary maker Levison Wood, which is awarded to an individual or group of people who improve or conserve their local Fundraiser Award, judged by playwright and actor Deb McAndrew, is awarded to an individual or group of people who have gone the extra mile to raise funds for a good Community Group Award, judged by former SAS soldier Melvyn Downes, awarded to a group of people who have helped to change the lives of others within their community. A spokesperson for the station said: "We're so lucky in Staffordshire and Cheshire that they go above and beyond in their communities."Every year, we're inspired by their stories, and it's wonderful to be able to recognise just a few of them at this special occasion." To nominate a winner, visit the BBC's Make A Difference pages online. Shortlisted finalists will be notified from June 2025. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
