Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, opened the South Staffordshire Celebration Event on Saturday 21st June.
Community and volunteer groups from all over South Staffordshire, along with charities and partner organisations, attended a big shop window event – between 10am and 2pm - at the Church at Perton.
The Celebration Event, which was organised by Support Staffordshire, was designed to enable the local organisations to celebrate their successes, attract more volunteers and inform people about available help and funding for projects.
A series of community and voluntary groups, including Staffordshire Fire and Rescue and the Police, gathered for the celebration. All members of the community were invited to attend, along with their families.
Visitors were able to try out a wide range of activities, including indoor bowling, lucky dips, fun games and other events. Free refreshments were also available on the day.
At the end of the event, a certificate presentation was held in appreciation of the work that local volunteers do and the time, and effort, they spend helping in their local communities.
Gavin gave the Gavin Williamson MP Community Award, which recognises the contribution of a nominated volunteer who has really gone the extra mile in carrying out charitable works within the local area.
The Award was won by Eric Newton, who works as a volunteer driver for Wombourne Volunteer Bureau Hand in Hand. This entails helping vulnerable people to their hospital appointments and then escorting them safely back to their homes.
Mr. Newton – who is a member of Wombourne Writers - also volunteers for the Cheshire House Care Home, where he conveys his love of literature to the residents by reading stories and other pieces of writing.
On the event, Gavin said: “I greatly enjoyed opening the South Staffordshire Celebration Event on Saturday. It was a wonderful event, which did a huge amount to help to raise awareness of some of the incredible organisations and charities within the local area.
“In South Staffordshire, we are lucky to have a large number of people who selflessly dedicate their time to help others in the local community. However, these individuals can often receive very little recognition or praise. The Gavin Williamson MP Community Award is designed to recognise these tireless volunteers and to thank them for their continued efforts. Mr. Newton is a worthy winner for the incredible work that he does to help some of the most vulnerable members of our local community.
“Unfortunately, there could be only one winner, but all the nominees were deserving of the highest praise and I cannot thank them enough for all their hard work and for all the lives that they have helped.”