Birmingham hospice volunteer handed top award
A hospice volunteer has won an award in recognition of his outstanding efforts to the community.
Richard Green, who volunteers in the income generation team at Birmingham St Mary's Hospice, won ‘community volunteer of the year’ at the Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) volunteering awards.
The retired engineer from Sutton Coldfield picked up the award at ceremony celebrating the achievements of the city's top volunteers.
Having dedicated five years to the charity – which provides vital care and support to families living with terminal illness across Birmingham and Sandwell – Mr Green took home the gong due to his fundraising and event-planning efforts.
The award-winner was particularly praised for his role in the organisation’s ‘Treecycling’ campaign – a seasonal initiative that recycles unwanted Christmas trees whilst raising funds for the hospice.
By writing proposals, securing top sponsorship deals and mapping out collection routes, Mr Green's support helped raise £33,000 earlier this year, which was a 32 per cent increase from 2016.
Mr Green said: “Winning this award is not only rewarding from a personal point of view but it is a fantastic way of raising the profile of the hospice and our brilliant Treecycling campaign.
"Seeing our community grow year-on-year is gratifying and I’m proud to be a part of it.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fundraising team at the Hospice for their help, support and friendship, and for giving me the opportunity to work on some amazing projects and events – it has been both a privilege and a pleasure.”
Tina Swani, CEO at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Richard is an exceptional volunteer and we couldn’t be prouder of his award win. His specialist skills, and his drive, passion and positive thinking, have had a huge impact on the fundraising team and the campaigns he regularly supports.
“Without Richard’s help – or the assistance of our other 400 volunteers – we wouldn’t be able to provide such a wide range of services to support local families living with terminal illness.
"The BVSC awards are a brilliant way of recognising the commitment of these individuals and we’re thrilled that Richard was amongst the winners on the night.”
