Louise Munro – The Royal Voluntary Service, Cumbria

8th November 2018

Awards 4

Winner – Young Volunteer of the Year


Louise Munro is 23 and has been volunteering for several months. She supports the social and practical needs of patients through companionship, reminiscence therapy and mentally-stimulating activities such as knitting, strategy games and art. She helps patients with exercises designed to increase mobility and promote recovery. She has been running “Move it or Lose it” classes, delivering group sessions on elderly wards every week, as well as one-to-one sessions on a daily basis. This has contributed to significant changes in patient mobility and general wellbeing. As lead volunteer, she supervises and supports all volunteers to ensure they are comfortable on ward, deals with any issues, and encourages them to stay. She has participated in media appearances to encourage people to volunteer. These include BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, the Daily Mail, and BBC Radio Lancashire. She also facilitated the Impact Study of the on-ward service, arranging everything with the ward, and identifying a willing participant. In addition, she volunteers at the monthly Bay Dementia Hub, monthly Freshers Young Onset Café and bimonthly Bay Dementia Network, as well as being a member of the Bay Dementia Networks Steering Group, supporting people living with dementia and other neurological conditions.