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Helpforce Champions Awards 2021: Shortlist announcement

29th September 2021

Helpforce awards 1

We are delighted to announce the shortlisted for the Helpforce Champions Awards 2021. Our judges have commented that this year's entries have been of high quality and impressive and it was very difficult for them to make a decision.

Mark Lever, Helpforce CEO, said: "2020 and 2021 have seen the NHS and all our healthcare services face one of the biggest challenges in their history, and we have seen volunteers step up in their thousands to help.

“This year, we have received a record number of entries for the Helpforce Champions Awards with so many brilliant examples of innovation, great practice, commitment, and real passion for patient care and support for staff across the health and care sector in the UK.

“We want to thank everyone for taking the time to recognise the volunteers and send our congratulations to those who have been shortlisted and we’d like to wish them the best of luck.”

We have also opened the category "People's Choice Award" where members of the public can vote for the best entry from all the submissions for this year. Please visit this page to vote for your favourite volunteer highlight. The voting round will end on 29th October 2021.

Please find below the shortlist (in no particular order):

Outstanding Volunteering Team of the Year:

  • Cardiff and Vale University Health Board - Hospital Runner team
  • South Central Ambulance Charity & South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust - South Central Ambulance Charity Community First Responders
  • Sussex Community NHS Trust - Volunteer service
  • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - COVID-19 Task Force - Research Volunteers
  • Central and North West London Trust CNWL - Check in and Chat team

Young Volunteer of the Year:

  • Louis Davies, Cardiff and Vale Health Board
  • Holly Grant, Royal Free charity
  • Eve Adams, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
  • Katherine Healey, South Warwickshire Foundation Trust
  • Avani Bhalla, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trust

Volunteer of the Year:

  • Samuel McKee, NHS Lothian
  • Abi Gibbs & Hugh Chamberlain, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
  • Rikki Sweet, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
  • Ian Goodchild, South Tees NHS Foundation Trust
  • Amal Nur, Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital
  • Lynn Daniel, Leeds Teaching Hospitals
  • Leane Stevenson, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
  • Philip Weaver, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
  • Jai Paxson, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Outstanding Staff Champion for Volunteers:

  • Abu Idris, Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust
  • Sarah Davies, Cardiff and Vale Health Board
  • Steven Howland, Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital
  • Cristina Irimus, Northampton General Hospital
  • Alison Cooke, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust

Volunteer Leader of the Year:

  • Jenny O'Boy, East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
  • Abigail Townsend, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
  • Sharon O'Donnell, Northern Health and Social Care Trust
  • Alison Lawrence, The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust
  • Sarah Kahn, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Partnership and Systems working in volunteering:

  • Jacqui Barret, #TabletsWithLove (Co-founder of Wider Thinking)
  • West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance Community Panel
  • Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Mass Vaccination Centre Volunteers
  • Copeland Covid Vaccination Programme Volunteers, Flatt Walks Vaccination Centre - Copeland Primary Care Network
  • Northamptonshire Health Charity, Volunteer Services NGH number 1 supporters

Innovation in volunteering:

  • Sussex Community NHS Trust, Mass vaccination
  • University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Big Hospital Experiment (Young Adults)
  • Northern Health and Social Care Trust, The essence of compassion and dedication
  • Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust, C&I Response Service - A helping hand for staff and patients
  • Royal Free Charity, Digital Volunteer Pilot collaboration

Celebrating Inclusion and Diversity in Volunteering:

  • Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Young Person's Advisory Group
  • Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, Spinal cord injury Patient education
  • Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Trust, From El Camino to volunteer
  • Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Trust, The Voluntary Service
  • Central and North West London Trust CNWL, The silent helpers assisting patients communicating (and reconnecting) with family and friends