Volunteers rewarded at RBH community awards

Employee volunteer of the year, Graham Dures, receives his award from RBH Head of Community Investment, Sarah Robinson

Residents, tenants and employees from across the Borough who go the extra mile to help people in their communities have been honoured at the RBH Volunteer Awards.

Sue Kershaw, RBH Membership Manager, said: “We know there are hundreds of local people across the communities we serve who give up their time week in and week out for the benefit of the areas in which they live and work. We’re extremely proud of the work our volunteers do and our volunteer awards are an opportunity to highlight their selfless contribution and say thank you. Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who was nominated.”

The full list of winners is:

Community Volunteer Award (Middleton) - Steven Barlow
Steven has been rewarded for his greatly appreciated volunteer work with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, supporting blind and visually impaired tenants and residents with IT and computer issues.

Community Volunteer Award (Rochdale South) - Glynn Gillespie
Glynn has worked tirelessly to support the Q Gardens project on Kirkholt and similar projects across the borough. His positive outlook helps and supports other volunteers to develop their skills and take a lead on their own projects

Community Volunteer Award (Heywood) - Claire Pike
Claire's volunteer work makes her the mainstay of the community at Back O' Th' Moss. Her support is greatly appreciated through the community and she works closely with RBH employees in the area, including organising the RBH junior warden sessions at the community centre.

Community Volunteer Award (Rochdale North) - Amy Donegan
Amy was one of the founder members of the RBH Young Voices steering group, engaging with young people and encouraging them to embrace their local communities. She now looks after the junior wardens group on Lower Falinge, planning and delivering the sessions and supporting young people across the local area.

Community Volunteer Award (Pennines) - Connah Mather
Connah has been volunteering with the Holt Tenants and Residents Association since the age of just 14, and his continued commitment to carrying out work in the community is exemplary. He is driven and passionate, and always does he best to help everyone in the local area.

Young Community Volunteer Awards - Brooke Newell and Kyran Holt
Brooke is a valued member of the junior activity club on the Cray and has been a volunteer for over 12 months. She is a great asset to the club, helping out with all activities and building a special rapport with the younger children. She has already inspired a number of activity club members to follow in her volunteering footsteps!

Kyran is a volunteer at the Holt Tenants and Residents Associations and has been helping out for the last two years. He is enthusiastic and hard working, dedicating much of his free time to supporting young people in the community.

Employee Volunteer award - Graham Dures
Graham's dedication and commitment to the excellent Prison Me! No Way! sessions has been evident over a number of years, and this year he went one step further by writing and delivering his own workshop. His support for young people in the borough over this time goes far above and beyond his day to day role and he is a fantastic role model for all those he works with.

Runners-up - Viv Renshaw and Roy Thornsby.

Work Placement Volunteer of the Year - Dale Sinfield
Dale has been completing voluntary work with the community caretaking team at Freehold. His duties include cleaning of communal areas, bin rotation, minor repairs and helping tenants with furniture disposal. He is reliable, friendly and approachable and never lets anyone down or falls short, even faced with the most challenging of tasks.

Runners-up - Matthew Watson and Alan Hallsworth