Leicestershire Cares celebrates volunteers success

Companies from across Leicestershire celebrated the success of their staff volunteers at the Leicestershire Cares’ Annual Celebration event in the O2 Academy at the University of Leicester.

The organisations and their people have given their time to volunteer for worthy causes across the county through Leicestershire Cares, the local charity that enables employees to volunteer in the community.

Penny Corah, the widow of Leicestershire Cares’ founder Nicholas Corah OBE, took over her husband’s role as president of the charity. Penny said: “I am really touched that I was asked to take Nicholas’s place as president.” Penny announced the following awards:

ProHelp Firm of the Year:
Harvey Ingram

Placement Volunteer of the Year:
Lisa March of SGP

Education Volunteer of the Year:
Tracey Mallett of National Grid

Team of the Year:
HBJ Gateley Wareing
The Nicholas Corah Memorial Cup,

for Company of the Year:
National Grid

President’s Award for Outstanding Contribution:
Stephen Woolfe, Harvey Ingram

The prize for the best stand at the
awards ceremony went to the law firm
Irwin Mitchell.

Other speakers included: the University of Leicester vice-chancellor Prof Bob Burgess; Rachel Dickinson, strategic director, children, at Leicester City Council; Liz Logie, headteacher of Beaumont Leys School; and Leicestershire Cares chairman Brian Stein, chief executive of Samworth Brothers. Rachel Dickinson gave the keynote speech, as the theme of the event this year is education. Liz Logie talked about the impact that volunteers from Leicestershire Cares have had in her school. Prof Burgess said: “Leicestershire Cares is a fantastic organisation, because it brings a whole range of different people together. Many people in Leicestershire have reason to thank Leicestershire Cares for all it does. And I’m one of them.”

Brian Stein said the support shown to Cares through the current hard economic times meant its vital work could continue:

“We have a great deal to celebrate. The reality is when we go through a tough time like the recession then the disadvantaged need more help, not less.”

Cares director Monica Kimche outlined how many people in education were helped in 2010 by Cares and its volunteers: more than 2,000 pupils were given mock interviews; more than 400 were helped with their reading; and more than 800 with maths.

Liz Logie said: “For several years Leicestershire Cares has organised for large numbers of volunteers to come into our school to do mock interviews with our pupils. I can’t thank the volunteers enough. Their impact is great.”

Year 10 BTEC dance pupils from Countesthorpe Community College entertained with a dance routine and the College’s Big Band performed at the end of the event.

Image: Leicestershire Cares President Penny Corah presents the nicholas Corah Memorial Cup for Company of the Year to Tracey Mallett of National Grid. L-R Lisa March of SGP, Sam Walley Gately Wareing & Stephen Woolfe awarded President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement also representing Firm of the Year Harvey Ingram

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