Camelon sensory centre wins volunteer-friendly honour

The distinction is presented to organisations able to can they are committed to fair and equal volunteering, getting the right opportunities, recognising success and “making volunteering happen”.

The award is said to follow a long period of evidence gathering, developing new support methods and volunteer policies in order to comply with the strong principles required.

Centre manager Jacquie Winning said; “We could not do what we do without our volunteers.

“We support people of all ages with all levels of sight or hearing loss from children to pensioners from mild hearing problems to profound deafness or age related sight conditions to complete blindness, everyone can benefit from our groups, classes and support.

“Our volunteers support us in a multitude of ways including providing transport, gardening and supporting our fundraising events.

“Their dedication, as with many charities across Scotland, is critical to our work and vital for our Centre users.

“We wanted to ensure that we were doing the best for them and what better way than having an independent audit of our approach - we are ecstatic to have gained our Volunteer Friendly Award”.

Jen Kerr, incoming chief executive of CVS Falkirk, said: “I’m delighted to be presenting this award to Forth Valley Sensory Centre,

“As a newcomer to Falkirk, it’s a fantastic opportunity for me to get a sense of the incredible work being done in our sector.

“Volunteering organisations like Forth Valley Sensory Centre offer people the chance to develop their skills, their confidence, and make new and lasting connections - something that’s becoming more and more important, especially in terms of health and wellbeing.

“Achieving the Volunteer Friendly Award recognises the Sensory Centre’s commitment to their volunteers and everyone who uses the centre, to making sure they are happy, safe and fulfilled, and receive the most from their experiences”.

She added: “There’s no denying the impact our third sector has in Falkirk, and Forth Valley Sensory Centre has been a huge part of that, and with this award, will clearly continue to be.”

The Volunteer Friendly Award is designed to help organisations develop and follow best practice techniques when it comes to recruiting, utilising and supporting volunteers.

For more information about the centre visit www.forthvalleysensorycentre.org.