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    Midlothian Volunteer Awards 2023: Winners Announced

    Miriam Leighton on 2 June, 2023

    We are very excited to announce the winners of the 2023 Midlothian Volunteer Awards ceremony, which took place last night at Newbattle Abbey College. These incredible individuals have gone above and beyond to make a difference in their communities and to their organisations, and we are thrilled to recognise their contributions and dedication. From mentoring young people, supporting parents and providing soups for vulnerable people, and making a difference through physical activity, they represent the very best about volunteering.

    Their inspiring stories remind us that we all have the power to create a positive change, no matter how big or small it may be.

    By sharing their stories and celebrating their contributions and accomplishments, Midlothian’s volunteers inspire others to get involved and make a difference to their own communities….and their own lives. They are shining examples of what it means to be a volunteer. We hope that their passion and commitment will continue to inspire others for years to come.

    Congratulations!!!

    This year’s winners are:

    Equality and Diversity Award – Les Reynolds, Mayfield Community Club Tea Dance

    Service to the Community Award – Davy Naismith, The Glencorse Centre

    Befriender/Mentor of the Year Award – Alister Ballantyne, Health in Mind

    Active Volunteering and Climate Change Award – Ageing Well Volunteers, Midlothian Council

    Health & Wellbeing Award – Soup2Go – Young Volunteers, Midlothian Council Communities, Lifelong Learning and Employability

    Dedicated Service Award – Louise D’Arcy-Greig, Army Cadet Force

    Outstanding New Volunteer – I.M.P.A.C.T, Improving Midlothian Parents And Caregivers Time

    Volunteering Team of the Year Award – The Rosewell Volunteering Team and The Rosewell Gardening Club, Rosewell Development Trust

    Volunteer of the Year – Ruth Simpson, Ageing Well

    Our Saltire Summit Award winners for 2023 are:

    Kristen Dent, Aleesha Doherty, Louise Gillespie, Beth Keay, Shaun Wood, Chloe Barron, Ben McIntosh, George Brodie, Abbie O’Malley

    Melissa Reidie

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Organisation: Girlguiding Scotland and Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts

    Melissa has shown an impressive commitment to volunteering, having completed four years in a leadership role for Girlguiding Scotland as well as inputting 477 hours for ‘Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts’ in Leith.  Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts takes surplus food and turns it into free healthy meals for people in need. The charity produced 409,751 meals from March-December 2020. Melissa gives 100% to her volunteering roles and, as a result, is highly regarded by those that know and have worked with her. Her contribution has been outstanding, and she is a real inspiration to others. Well done, Melissa! 

    Louise Gillespie

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Organisation: Salvation Army and Y2K in Mayfield and Easthouses

    Louise has shown real commitment to volunteering, achieving over 400 hours of Saltire certification by dedicating three days of her time each week to The Salvation Army Shop. This is in addition to the contribution she has made as a volunteer with Y2K. Despite being a naturally shy individual, Louise has been determined to not let this stand in the way of helping and motivating others. She is a truly incredible individual who puts others first and would be a very deserving winner of the Saltire Summit Award.

    Eva Hesketh-Laird

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Organisation: Glencorse Centre and Penicuik Storehouse

    Eva has put in a significant number of hours of volunteering, initially for the Glencorse Centre in Auchendinny and more recently for the Storehouse in Penicuik. A truly versatile individual taking on lots of roles, Eva has made a big impact and clearly wants the Storehouse to be the best it can possibly be. Her commitment, enthusiasm, and creation of ideas for improvement show how Eva strives for excellence for both the organisation and the customers it serves. She is a great asset to the Storehouse and to the wider community in Penicuik.

    Kyle Anderson

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Organisation: Loanhead Lego Club and Zoom Minecraft groups

    At just 16 years old, Kyle stands out as a truly inspirational young volunteer. He has shown real initiative in creating and delivering the Lego Club and, latterly during the pandemic, Zoom Minecraft clubs for children and young people. Kyle quickly realised that the Zoom sessions he was running were about more than just Minecraft. Indeed, they were also about reducing loneliness and isolation, positively impacting on the mental wellbeing of the other young people involved. Kyle’s dedication has been remarkable. He sets a brilliant example to other young would-be volunteers.

    Samantha Gough

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Organisation: Bright Sparks

    Samantha is a truly remarkable individual who has shown great dedication as a young volunteer. Not letting Covid-19 get in her way, Samantha has remained busy and motivated throughout the pandemic so far. She has put new ideas in place, delivering weekly ‘Bingo, Quiz and Craft’ sessions, as well as helping with food donations for children with disabilities and their families receiving support from Bright Sparks. Having attended Bright Sparks herself from the age of 18 months old, she has gone on to show loyalty and appreciation by giving back a phenomenal number of hours as a volunteer. The level of commitment this young woman has shown is truly impressive. Samantha would be a very worthy winner of a Saltire Summit Award.

    Naomi Knights

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Volunteer Midlothian

    Naomi coordinates the ‘Connect’ project at Volunteer Midlothian and has done so for the past three years. She is a dedicated volunteer manager who does her utmost to ensure that her volunteers provide a great service when supporting isolated older people in Midlothian. Naomi was quick to shift the Connect project into a telephone befriending format when the pandemic and lockdown were announced. She is extremely committed to the people she supports (both clients and volunteers), has a strong ‘social conscience’, and is always one of the first to anticipate potential changes that might impact on her service.

    Penicuik Ambassadors

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Midlothian Council Communities and Lifelong Learning.

    Penicuik Ambassadors played a critical role in providing support to the community during the 2020 lockdown and continue to do so today. Volunteers provided vital services such as social support, shopping and delivery of prescriptions to those who were shielding. Busy group members also led initiatives such as starting a mask making group, opening a lending library and running a school clothing bank. The Ambassadors have been instrumental in facilitating the localised response to Covid-19 in the Penicuik area. They have proven themselves to be an incredibly active and committed group of resilience volunteers.

    Winner: Volunteering Team of the Year

    Amazing Brains Committee at Art Club

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Art Club

    The Amazing Brains Committee at Art Club directed the majority of youth work activity in Dalkeith during the pandemic. They meet once a week on Zoom, in parks and in forests to run their meetings and make sure that Art Club remains youth led. During the summer of 2020 they volunteered at the Summer Art Workshop where they risk assessed the site, registered participants and assisted the artists. At Junior Rangers they litter picked, removed invasive species, built fences and increased the biodiversity in the woods. Members also ran a weekly online art exhibition and directed a host of creative activities. What an amazing team of young volunteers!

    Heather Mortimore

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Food Facts Friends

    Heather joined the Food Facts Friends food bank at a critical time in late March 2020, when many existing volunteers had resigned to go into shielding. She was initially made responsible for organising the tinned goods. She took on a variety of different roles for FFF, helping the organisation to adapt to an incredible seven-fold increase in demand for its services over the course of just a few weeks. Her support as a volunteer has been integral to the successful running of Food Facts Friends throughout the pandemic.

    Colette Pye

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Mayfield and District Breastfeeding Support Group

    Colette has been volunteering for the last 28 years as a breastfeeding peer supporter in Midlothian. She came to Mayfield and District Breastfeeding Support Group as a participant with her own three children and has been supporting the group (and mums and babies across Midlothian) ever since. She is kind to all the families she meets and goes out of her way to offer them her time and attention. She is a gentle but strong individual that always thinks of others and puts them first. She is also well known in her community for her kindness, understanding and regular good deeds.

    Midlothian Breastfeeding Alliance

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Breastfeeding Network UK

    Midlothian Breastfeeding Alliance (MBA) is a network of trained breastfeeding peer supporters who, collectively, have provided dedicated support to breastfeeding mums across Midlothian for many years. This outstanding team of local female volunteers adapted quickly to the changes brought about by Covid-19, moving their groups online and supporting local women via social media. They gave over 200 gift bags containing self-care items as well as info about breastfeeding to new mums during the first lockdown. They were also closely involved in the development of a Walk, Talk and Feed group.

    Chris Boyle and Ricky Lloyd

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Dalkeith Rugby Football Club

    Chris and Ricky have been volunteering at Dalkeith Rugby for 4 and 10 years respectively. They both worked tirelessly to make sure that rugby could resume and continue safely when permitted. Quite simply, without Chris and Ricky, over 100 kids wouldn’t have been able to feel the health and wellbeing benefits from playing any rugby this year at all. There would have been no ‘minis’ or youth rugby in Dalkeith without them. They are a volunteering force to be reckoned with!

    Connect Project Volunteers

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Volunteer Midlothian

    Volunteers with the Connect Project are matched with an older person who has been identified as socially isolated in the Midlothian community. For the past year Connect has been running as a telephone and online befriending service, whereby the volunteer makes a weekly call to the ‘befriendee’ or client over a period of 6 months. The work of Connect has been shown to increase confidence and self-worth among clients and volunteers, as well as improving levels of well-being and motivation.

    Joseph Burke

    Miriam Leighton on 21 May, 2021

    Nominated by: Health in Mind

    Since January 2020 Joseph has been volunteering with Health in Mind, providing one to one support to four Midlothian men experiencing mental health difficulties. He has shown incredible commitment and compassion, offering weekly support to these men while also starting a new job and completing his dissertation. And he achieved all this during a global pandemic!

    Winner: Volunteer of the Year