Alliance announces Volunteer Awards 2014 winners
10th June 2014
The hard work, dedication and commitment of four outstanding volunteers and two outstanding volunteer teams were celebrated at the Pre-school Learning Alliance Volunteer Awards 2014 on Friday 6 June.
The winners were announced by television presenter Amanda Lamb in front of an audience of more than 600 delegates from across the country during the annual member event.
The Volunteer Awards acknowledge and celebrate the vital role that volunteers play in the Alliance鈥檚 work. To make the shortlist, the nominees had to demonstrate: a high level of personal commitment; how they have made a positive contribution or difference to their local community; and how their work as volunteers has benefited children, parents or their setting.
The Volunteer Awards 2014 winners were:
Outstanding volunteer at a baby and toddler group
- Maud Lawson, Stanley Community Centre carer and toddler group in Durham
Outstanding volunteer at an early years setting
- Jenny Maynard, Roundabout Pre-school in Somerton
Outstanding volunteer team (joint winners)
- Petts Wood Playgroup, Kent
- Mothers Union volunteers at the Prison Play project in HMP Hull
Lifetime achievement award (joint winners)
- Pam Baxter, Alliance Warwickshire subcommittee
- Sheila Williams, Petts Wood Playgroup, Kent
Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch said: 鈥淭hese awards are a fantastic opportunity to formally recognise and celebrate the huge contribution that volunteers make to the work of Alliance member settings and groups across the country.
鈥淚t is always difficult to choose a winner in each category as all of the nominees deserve recognition for their work, but the calibre of entries this year was particularly high, which is why we took the unusual step of naming joint winners in both the 鈥極utstanding volunteer team鈥 and 鈥楲ifetime achievement award鈥 categories.
鈥淎lthough volunteering has been an integral part of the Alliance since our inception in 1961, we never fail to be awed and humbled by the commitment and dedication of these outstanding individuals and teams. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners - we look forward to celebrating your fantastic work again next year.鈥
For further information, please .
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Notes for editors
ABOUT THE WINNERS:
Maud Lawson (Outstanding volunteer at a baby and toddler group)
Maud volunteers at the Stanley Community Centre carer and toddler group, which meets every Tuesday offering fun activities such as crafts, messy play and song time. A committed individual, she organises all the shopping and fundraising activities on behalf of the group and also manages practical aspects such as arranging the room appropriately for song, crafts and messy play each week.
Jenny Maynard (Outstanding volunteer at an early years setting)
Jenny has worked with Roundabout Pre-school for more than 20 years, with the last 19 spent as a trustee. Over the past five years, she has worked tirelessly to raise funds for a new building for the setting, applying for numerous grants and organising local fundraisers Thanks to her efforts, the setting will be moving into a great new purpose-built building after Easter, which will enable them to able to stay open all day and offer two-year-olds funded places.
Petts Wood Playgroup (Outstanding volunteer team - joint winner)
Petts Wood Playgroup, which offers specialist support to 15 children with special educational needs every day, is run by a team of forty outstanding practitioners, all of whom are volunteers. The team always go the extra mile with many giving additional time to projects over their holidays too - most recently to build a new playhouse - and regularly attend evening training courses to ensure their skills and knowledge are up to date.
Mothers Union Volunteers (Outstanding volunteer team - joint winner)
The team volunteer at the HMP Hull Play Centre on a weekly basis, helping to make family visits at the prison as positive as possible. Their commitment over the past 20 years has helped ensure that children and their parents enjoy their play experiences together and has directly contributed to the high level of growth and development of the prison play project.
Pam Baxter (Lifetime achievement award - joint winner)
Pam initially became involved with the Alliance after being approached to set up a playgroup in a redundant church building. Since then, her involvement has grown and grown, and she has now represented the Alliance Warwickshire subcommittee at both a national and divisional council level. A former secondary PE teacher, Pam has used the Physical Education Games Scheme (PEGS) to promote physical activity not only in her own pre-school, but also others in the area, ensuring that all children were able to benefit.
Sheila Williams (Lifetime achievement award - joint winner)
A dedicated volunteer for almost 46 years, Sheila has been involved in the work of the Petts Wood Playgroup since its opening in 1968. She has undertaken a range of training courses including first aid, child safeguarding and Makaton singing, which she used to support Makaton sessions at the playgroup. Despite challenges in other parts of her life, Sheila still attends the group every Friday to prepare the children鈥檚 snack and drinks for the staff and help with the clearing up, as well as continuing to attend evening training classes.
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England. A registered educational charity, it also provides high-quality affordable childcare and education to support children and families in areas of deprivation throughout the country.
- The Alliance represents 14,000 member settings and supports them to deliver care and learning to more than 800,000 families every year. We deliver family learning projects, offer information and advice, produce specialist publications, run acclaimed training and accreditation schemes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.
- The Alliance website is at