“With the cost of living, day trips and activities with my children can be unaffordable.”
“They’ve boosted my child’s confidence.”
“It provides respite and some semblance of routine for my son who has extra needs.”
“There is nothing like this in England.”
These were some of the messages of thanks read out last night to the volunteers who help Torfaen Play run sessions for children every day of the week.
Volunteers and their friends and families sat in the Congress Theatre to hear how the time they give makes such a huge difference to the lives of children.
Torfaen Play runs a wide range of activities throughout the year including Summer holidays, sessions during Christmas, Easter and half-term breaks, play and respite (for children with disabilities), open access play (run from parks across Torfaen), and food and fun camps where last year 32,000 meals were also served.
They also run transitional camps to help the move from primary to secondary school easier for children.
How volunteering helps your career
Max Griffiths and Ben Molverson presented the evening, with Max explaining how he started as a volunteer and is now a primary school teacher. He said it was thanks to the volunteering hours and work he did for Torfaen Play.
A video showed other former volunteers talking about their current careers and how the experience they gained with Torfaen Play helped them.
A Royal Mail data analyst appeared with his twin boys saying how the experience had made him a better dad, a private nursery manager said it introduced him to a “sector he never know existed”, and a woman who went on to gain a nursing degree shared a video speaking from her new place of work- as a nurse on cruise ship that was currently in the Caribbean where she loves “seeing the world for free.”
Oscar Balkwill was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award, and Shirley Macdonald was presented with the Community Inspiration Award.
Awards were presented by the High Sheriff of Gwent Helin Miffin, Torfaen’s MS Lynne Neagle, Torfaen Council’s cabinet member for education, Cllr Richard Clark, Torfaen Council’s chief executive Stephen Vickers, and Torfaen Voluntary Alliance chief executive Aimi Morris.
Community Inspiration Award
Shirley Macdonald was presented with the Community Inspiration Award at the Torfaen Play Awards earlier this week. Before she was called up to collect her awards, Julian Davenne, Torfaen Play manager, said: “Shirley came to volunteer with us approximately a year ago, started with doing a few sessions. From day one she showed a keen interest and she straight away jumped on all the training we offer.
“She started working with children with disabilities, family play sessions, after-school provisions and the summer holidays. She has dedicated so much time and effort to the Torfaen Play Service and has done over 750 hours of volunteering and is an absolute pleasure to have in the team.”
Volunteer of the Year
Oscar Balkwill collected the Volunteer of the Year Award from the High Sheriff of Gwent.
Photos
View more pics from the evening on Cwmbran Life’s Facebook page.