We had a fabulous time at our 2023 Derby Volunteer Awards evening!
2023 marks the 39th year of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), when we join thousands of charities and voluntary organisations to recognise the contribution volunteers make across the UK. The contribution of volunteers is often unseen and unrecognised, so taking the time during Volunteers’ Week to celebrate the efforts of volunteers and all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector and society as a whole has never been more important.
Our Derby Volunteer Awards are an important acknowledgment and celebration of the fantastic volunteers, community groups and voluntary organisations that work tirelessly in support of our city and community. Volunteers and VCSE organisations do so much, and without you, life would be a lot harder for many people in our community.
To view the full album of photos from the event please click here!
Our CEO Kim Harper said:
"The awards ceremony is always a wonderful highlight for me, a time to pause and reflect on another incredible year of people giving back and caring about others.
The evening aims to provide a platform to celebrate our volunteers and VCSE groups and organisations. It is an opportunity to say thank you to those that have dedicated their energy into making a difference, in a time when the world needs community to come together more than ever."
Guests attending the event at Derby Silk Mill were met with beautiful harp music from Laura-Rose Gee, collected a goody bag and enjoyed a welcome drink and canapes.
Our host for the evening was Nick Britten, who did a fabulous job as Master of Ceremonies.
Last year's Awards winners, representatives from Community Action, Volunteer Centre Derby and Derby Homes, as well as some some special guests, stepped up to present the winners with their trophies and certificates. Many of our winners gave fantastic speeches, whilst photographer Shaun Hardwick captured the moment.
Singer and star of The Voice Dwaine Hayden, serenaded guests as they tucked in to a delicious buffet, whilst a slideshow of photos and quotes from many of the nominations we received played in the background.
To round off the night, Community Action's Chair, Ray Khumalo congratulated all of the winners and highlighted the vital role of all volunteers and the VCSE sector, asking everyone to give a big round of applause.
It was fabulous to hear so many inspirational stories and to be able to recognise and celebrate the volunteers and voluntary organisations who give and do so much for our city.
We hope you all enjoyed the event as much as we did!
With thanks to our partners Derby Homes, and to 6Pence Designs who did a fabulous job with our programme.
The full list of 2022 winners is as follows:
- Helen Simpkin - Youth Work Award
- Ruth Clark - Crisis Support Award
- Derby Stand up to Racism - Inclusion Award
- Esme Grace Wainwright - Young Volunteer Award
- Steph Kelsey, Kelsey Family CiC - Mental Health & Addiction Award
- Nellam Talit - Sporting Award
- Rebuild East Midlands - VCSE Award
- Anne Sherwood - Community Hero Award (The Diocese of Derby has written a piece about Anne on their website, you can read that here!)
- Laleta Buctkuar - Good Neighbour Award
- Ellen Brown - Overcoming Barriers Award
- Kalwinder Singh Dhindsa - Arts, Culture & Heritage Award
- Dad's Space - Upcoming & Innovation Award
- Sarah Butcher - Lifetime Achievement Award
You can also read more about the winners in the event programme, which can be downloaded below:
Derby Volunteer Awards Programme 2023 (11,992.25 KB)
You can see some photos of the winners below. To view the full album of photos from the event please click here!
(Left to right) Helen Simpkin - Youth Work Award, Ruth Clark - Crisis Support Award, Derby Stand up to Racism - Inclusion Award, Esme Grace Wainwright - Young Volunteer Award, Steph Kelsey, Kelsey Family CiC - Mental Health & Addiction Award.
Rebuild East Midlands - VCSE Award, Ellen Brown - Overcoming Barriers Award, Dad's Space - Upcoming & Innovation, Anne Sherwood - Community Hero Award, Laleta Buctkuar - Good Neighbour Award, Kalwinder Singh Dhindsa - Arts, Culture & Heritage Award
Sarah Butcher - Lifetime Achievement Award
Group photo of some of our Award winners on the Civic Hall steps of the Museum of Making
