Young volunteers from LinkLiving gathered earlier this week at the inaugural volunteer awards where their achievements were celebrated and their hard work recognised.
LinkLiving, part of the Link Group, works to make a positive difference to the lives of people affected by social exclusion including homelessness, mental health issues and learning disabilities.
Volunteers from each of the services – SmartLiving, RealLiving, StartLiving and the Fife gardening service – were presented with a ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ which was signed by their Volunteer Co-ordinator and LinkLiving Director, Elaine Johnston.
SmartLiving volunteers also received their Millennium Volunteers certificates for 50, 100 or 200 hours volunteering. SmartLiving recruits young people aged 16 to 25 and trains them to become Peer Educators who can deliver the message of how difficult maintaining a tenancy can be. The Millennium Volunteers scheme is supported by the Scottish Government and helps with the volunteers’ personal development.
Three special awards were also presented to individuals who had a particular success or achievement during the time they have volunteered with LinkLiving.
Elaine Johnston said “These awards were set up to recognise the hard work our volunteers put in. When the first volunteer service was established in 2005 there were only 5 volunteers but now we have nearly 100 and every one of them has a story to tell and achievements to celebrate. They are helping to change not only their own lives but also the lives of others. We hope these awards will become an annual event”
