| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 06/12/2007 | More make strides Towards Excellence in Salford |
More make strides Towards Excellence in Salford
Well-known local BBC Radio presenter Mark Elliott showed what volunteering is all about by enthusiastically hosting the second ‘Towards Excellence’ Awards Ceremony at the Salford Sports Village on 15th November. So impressed was he by what he saw that he is now commissioning a series of programmes featuring the winners to be broadcast in the run up to Christmas.
'Towards Excellence in Volunteering’ is an exciting and innovative project that does at a local level what GoldStar does nationally by taking a lead in promoting good practice and diversity. The programme is run by Salford Volunteer Centre. Under the scheme five local organisations each year undergo an intensive programme that both challenges and supports them to develop the quality of their work around diversity and volunteering. This year saw four of the participant organisations receive certificates and plaques to mark their achievement, while a fifth, which had experienced unexpected difficulties during the year, has agreed to extend the timescale needed to achieve its goals and will be looking forward therefore to next year’s presentations.
This year’s awards went to:
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Addaction – Addaction Manchester helps prisoners with substance misuse issues who are being released into the community to resettle and ensures that their accommodation and other practical needs are met. Although only 18 months old, they have successfully developed a strong infrastructure and made their volunteer programme more attractive and inclusive to all sections of the community. Their recruitment policy was deemed to be ‘innovative and exemplary’.
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The Creative Living Centre - CLC offers a holistic person centred response to people experiencing mental or emotional distress. There are just four part time members of staff and most services are facilitated by a valuable network of volunteers, many of whom themselves have personal experience of mental health issues. Although under pressure through lack of resources, their commitment to developing a diverse environment that mirrors their own holistic ethos and to improving diversity in the way they manage volunteers has never faltered
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Manchester Education Resettlement Centre - MERC engages with hard to reach groups, delivering courses to at least 300 students each year. They have 55 volunteers, many of whom are ex-students. These volunteers act as in a learner support and mentor role to students. Over the year they have reviewed and revamped their policies and procedures and brought increased volunteer involvement into all aspects of this work.
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Swinton Families - provides a range of services to families with children aged 0-14 years living in the Swinton area who may be facing difficulties. The panel felt that they have truly embraced the spirit of Towards Excellence and demonstrated an innovative and diverse approach to managing volunteers, as well as producing an impressively creative portfolio.
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