Lucy Mason Award for Volunteering.

Nominated by: Our people

Shortlisted by: An independent panel of 'our people'

Selected by: Our people

An award for someone who makes a difference to other people's lives and in the last 12 months

• Has volunteered their own time to make a real difference outside of work
• Has volunteered to improve people's lives in their local community
• Has given their time to help someone/people not related to them

Introduced in 2015

Lucy was, and is, one of a kind. Straight talking, hard working and a friend to everyone. Grades meant nothing to Lucy ... if you wanted the Chief told some truths Lucy would do it in her own style and leave them laughing about it. She took her Devon accent and her famous "shitty death" exclamation to many offices including Leicester and Croydon where she became the Chief's PA (can't have been too offended!). She had an infectious laugh and personality that just made people want to join her on the countless Sports Days, Challenges and Netball tournaments that she ran or took part in. It was no surprise when Our Luce went to the Palace to be awarded an MBE by the Queen - I bet she made her laugh too!

Shortlisted nominees:

Angela Lonsdale (Durham):

• Angela has been the secretary for Crook Town youth football club for the past 13 years. The ages range is 5-18 girls and boys.
• She organises tournaments, washes, and orders new strips, finds referees, organised the club to support lots of charities over the years and the youngest team always lay a wreath on Memorial Day.
• Angela fundraises for the team with football draws and totes and arranges fixtures with the league this is all in her own time.
• Even though her son is moving on, Angela is going to carry on.

Michelle Barnard (Telford):

• Michelle spends her life caring for and helping others. Outside work she cares for her elderly neighbours, taking them to hospital & GP appointments, checking in on them usually twice a day.
• She volunteers for Next Steps Cat Rescue, regularly fostering cats and taking cats from the rescue to and from vet's appointments in Telford even though she lives in Stafford.
• She has regularly collected items needed for refugees and takes work recycling away in her own time.

Paul Atkin (Plymouth):

• Paul does volunteer work with the army cadets; he is involved with the Royal British Legion; he volunteers at the local Plymouth soup kitchen; at Mount Edgecumbe historic park.
• He helps organise the Bonus Ball draw (where money raised goes to the Children's Hospice South West) and an LLC coffee roulette, where donations go to Shelter.
• Paul takes volunteering and supporting others to the next level. He has volunteered and fundraised for numerous causes and charities including the Samaritans, Princes Trust DoE scheme and running a local branch of Poppy Appeal.
• He has recently moved to actively volunteering with Plymouth Drake Sea & Royal Marine cadets.
• He volunteers with the Plymouth Soup Run initiative and recently took part in Men's Day Out walk for St Luke's Hospice.

***WINNER 2024*** - Paul Atkin (Plymouth)

Previous recipients of the Lucy Mason Award for Volunteering:

• 2023 - Michael Daley (Fylde)
• 2022 - Rachel Thomas (Leicester)
• 2021 - Andy Pothecary (Fylde)
• 2020 - June Saele (Fylde)
• 2019 - Sue Malley (Peterborough)

Awards page.