News Article

Inspirational North East volunteers are to be recognised at an event next week organised to celebrate their contribution to volunteering and their personal achievements. 

The North East Volunteers (NEV) project was developed by One North East and regional partners and works with unemployed and economically inactive people in cultural volunteering activities, to open doors into employment or further training.

The North East Volunteers (NEV) Celebration Event – the first event of its kind for the project - takes place on Wednesday September 23 at the Radisson Hotel in Durham between 12 noon and 3.30pm.  The event will see winners of the NEV Awards 2009 unveiled and Paralympian Stephen Miller – who recently returned from Beijing with his fifth Paralympic medal - will be there to present an award.

The categories are: Inspirational Volunteer; Inspirational Group of Volunteers; Commitment to Skills Development; Inspirational Support and Inspirational Volunteer Manager.

 Among those nominated are:

• Michael Brummitt, from Benton, who has overcome mental and emotional health barriers to become an archive volunteer, manually cataloguing thousands of photographs and at the same time undertaking an NVQ Level 2.  Volunteer Co-ordinator Kirsten Luckins said: “Michael overcomes real and substantial barriers every time he volunteers … taking on this course of study is a challenge for him, and he is showing great courage and determination.”
• Martin Lee, 23, from Whitley Bay and Marc Froggatt also 23, from North Shields.  Martin and Marc both have learning disabilities and share common experiences of being discriminated against, lacking the opportunities available to their peers.  They made a film entitled ‘We Just Want To Be Treated Like Anyone Else’, which was shown to the local community and helped to develop a shared understanding of how to make a positive change.
• Jon Whitehead, Ruth Welton, Lydia Bayly and Peter Marchal, all from Newcastle, who helped to run the summer Street Theatre @ the Quayside project, and were, according to Joe Price from Northern Street Arts, “the best volunteer group I’ve encountered in the arts sector for 25 years … this was a high profile, long reach project that had contact with over 20,000 members of the public.  The work of the volunteer team was absolutely critical to its success.”
• Brian Thompson, 48, from Newcastle, who identified a new career path whilst volunteering and was successful in securing two part-time jobs.  Brian has volunteered in events at almost all of the 12 Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives venues, even dressing up as a Roman soldier.
• Kayleigh Cousins, 18, from Gateshead, who has completed over 500 hours of sports volunteering over the last year, and 50 hours of training.
• Volunteer managers Lauren Prince, and Bryony Bell, who are developing weekly team challenges for young volunteers who face rural isolation in West Durham.
• Mark Henry, 23, from Bishop Auckland, who has supported young people to complete an arts award and now wants a career working with children and young people, based on his experiences.

NEV builds on the ability of cultural activities to generate enthusiasm and inspire participation through nine pilot projects which are each delivered by a consortium of local partners and boast 500 volunteers on their books.

As well as helping individuals to progress, the programme has helped to build capacity within the cultural sector by providing more volunteers and associated support for new organisations to develop their practices for involving volunteers.

Carol Reid, NEV Programme Manager, said: “We are inviting exceptional volunteers and volunteer managers from our pilot projects to come forward and receive the recognition they deserve.

“This is a really worthwhile event and I would encourage people to attend so they can appreciate the fantastic work and personal journeys that volunteers have undertaken.

“They do a wonderful job and we want to ensure that they feel valued and get the recognition they so rightly deserve.”

The nine pilot projects that form NEV are: ‘Cultural Volunteering Northumberland’ led by Northumberland County Council; ‘Get With It Sports Volunteering’ led by Gateshead Council; ‘Culture Works’ led by Age Concern South Tyneside; ‘Culture Track’ led by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums; ‘Ouseburn Valley Volunteers’ led by Ouseburn Trust; ‘Go in for Culture’ led by VODA; ‘Museums Live’ led by Killhope Mining Museum, ‘Culture Retreat’, led by Tees Music Alliance and ‘volunTees Valley’ led by visitTeesvalley.

One North East is supporting the awards with Lee Woolston, Skills and Economic Senior Specialist, one of the judges on the panel.  He said: “The quality of entrants for these awards has been exceptional, showcasing the spirit of people from the region who are all keen to help others and better themselves at the same time.

“The enthusiasm of some of those volunteers put forward is truly infectious, all of which help create a positive example of volunteering and the benefits that can be gained.”

For further information please contact Carol Reid on Tel: 0191 514 6156, e-mail: carol.reid@novasscarman.org or call Julie Dawson at Novas Scarman Group on 0191 514 6156, email julie.dawson@novasscarman.org

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For more information, contact Gordon Arnott, One North East press office, on Tel: 0191 229 6309, mobile: 07713 317883 or e-mail gordon.arnott@onenortheast.co.uk