Staff from Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland are celebrating after winning £500 to spend on recognising their volunteers. Women’s Aid beat off stiff competition from other volunteer involving organisations to scoop the jackpot. The Volunteer Recognition Award is organised by the Volunteer Development Agency to encourage organisations to think about how they could recognise their volunteers, highlighting one of the key themes of Volunteers’ Week.
The £500 prize was presented to Sonya Lutton, Helpline Volunteer Coordinator at Women’s Aid by Margaret Ritchie, Minister for Social Development at a celebration event in Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
Speaking at the ceremony Sonya said, “Coming from all walks of life, our highly trained and experienced volunteers bring their own unique perspective and a rich diversity to the organisation. They all, however, have one thing in common – a strong belief in the work they do and a determination to help those who come to us for help. Together they bring a depth to our organisation that could not be achieved through employing staff alone. Volunteers’ Week is our opportunity to publicly recognise our volunteers and say thank you for all the work they do, fifty two weeks of the year.”
Congratulating Sonya and Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland on their win Wendy Osborne OBE, Director of the Volunteer Development Agency said, “The £500 was awarded to the organisation with the most creative or unusual plans to recognise their volunteers as part of this year’s Volunteers’ Week celebrations. To thank their volunteers for all their hard work Women’s Aid designed their own back garden as an ‘oasis in the city’, somewhere that their volunteers, who deal with stressful calls on the 24 hour Domestic Violence Helpline, can relax and unwind. The staff at Women’s Aid created the garden as a lasting token of thanks and appreciation of all the time, skills and experience the volunteers contribute to the running of the Helpline. By choosing to create a relaxing sanctuary for their volunteers Women’s Aid ensured they were top of the bunch when it came to the panel choosing a winner. The judges felt that this idea stood out from all the rest due to its uniqueness and creative nature. The newly designed garden with its mural, chosen by the volunteers, will be a visible, lasting reminder of thanks from Women’s Aid to their volunteers.”
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