Over 150 Stockport volunteers celebrated at borough’s first Volunteer Awards in over ten years

On Tuesday 21 May Stockport celebrated over 150 volunteers at its first borough wide Volunteer Awards in over ten years.

The Stockport Rocks! awards were organised by Stockport Volunteer Hub, Sector 3, Stockport County Community Trust, Marketing Stockport and Stockport Council, who have been delighted to support and celebrate so many extraordinary volunteers doing amazing things for other people in their community.

Stockport Rocks! saw 400 guests gather at Edgeley Park to honour the dedication and selfless contributions of local volunteers who make a significant difference in the lives of many. The event comes in the wake of Volunteers Week, an annual celebration during the first week of June to showcase and give thanks to volunteers up and down the country.

Hosted by Stockport County Club President, Steve Bellis, the ceremony recognised the invaluable efforts of volunteers across various sectors, including health, education, community, and environmental conservation.

The evening was a testament to the undeniable spirit of community service that thrives within Stockport. Guests enjoyed a two-course meal and were treated to an emotional performance by Beechwood Community Choir.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council said:

“I was honoured to be able to celebrate the fantastic achievements of so many of our volunteers at the inaugural Stockport Rocks! Awards.

“Volunteers are the backbone of our community so it’s not only right but necessary that we celebrate them and acknowledge their fantastic and incredibly important contribution towards creating a happy and healthy Stockport that everyone is proud to call home. ”

The Stockport Rocks team raised nearly £23,000 from external sponsors to cover the cost of the event through a tiered sponsorship portfolio.

Jo McGrath, Chief Executive of Sector 3, Stockport’s charity infrastructure organisation said:

“We’ve raised an incredible amount of money in a short space of time – we’re so lucky in Stockport to have such a supportive business community, who want to help make their town the best it can be and want to partner with local causes.

“We’ve made some brilliant new partnerships and plan to build on the flourishing relationship between the VCFSE (voluntary, community, faith based and social enterprise) sector and the private sector. If any local businesses would like to be a part of next year’s event please get in touch with the Sector 3 team.”

The organisers received nearly 300 nominations across 101 different organisations, making the judging process a challenge. There were 12 winners on the night, including two volunteer teams plus those highly commended. 

Guests were moved to tears of joy and appreciation as they celebrated one another’s achievements and acknowledged the tremendous impact of the volunteer community in Stockport. It was clear that this was a long overdue celebration and a worthy one at that.

For more information on how you can get involved in volunteering opportunities in Stockport, please visit the Stockport Volunteer Hub website.

Winners & Highly Commended List

Volunteer Mentor Award – sponsored by Planisware

Winner: Carol Potts – Beechwood Cancer Care

Highly Commended: Andrew Millest – CERA Cycloan; Sue Dockney – Empowering Parents Empowering Communities

Health & Wellbeing Award – sponsored by PossAbilities

Winner: Steve Hall – Banter & Brews

Highly Commended: Karen Ainley – Stockport County Community Trust; Luigi Di Vuono

Climate Action Award – sponsored by Kao Data

Winner: Agnes Pimblett – Friends of Heaton Norris Park

Highly Commended: Carl Palmer – Woodley & Bredbury Community Garden; Greg Pike – Marple Climate Group

Community Inclusion Award – sponsored by Stockport 8

Winner: Paul Goddard & Jimmy Glinden – Brinnington Park Leisure Complex

Highly Commended: Carmel O’Mally – St Peter’s Helpers; Richard Hubbard – Cheadle & Gatley Football Club

Good Neighbour Award – sponsored by Stockport Council

Winner: · Sarah Hardy – Offerton Community Kitchen

Highly Commended: David Parkinson – Woodley & Bredbury Neighbours; Katie Bradburn – Craig Road Residents Association

Special Recogntion:

Anne Holland – Starting Point

Corporate Volunteer Programme Award

Winner: Datesand Ltd

Highly Commended: Novanta; Nexperia

Unsung Hero

Winner: Andrew Roughley – Roughley’s Bike Show

Highly Commended: Ben Autumn – NAPAC; Maurice Perkins – Stockport Armed Forces Covenant; Samantha Merrick – Pure Insight & Keira’s Kingdom

Long Service Award – sponsored by Nexperia

Winner: Marjorie Bennett – Girlguiding;

Highly Commended: Eileen Bailey – Stockport Car Scheme; Margaret Thomson – St Ann’s Hospice

Young Volunteer Award – sponsored by Cheadle Hulme School

Winner: Elizabeth Nichols – ARC (Arts for Recovery in the Community)

Highly Commended: Daniel Reid – Seashell Trust; Megan Finch – Signpost Stockport for Carers; Zak Higson-Dibb – Grove Lane Baptist Church

Volunteer Team Award

Winner – Volunteer Team: The Wellspring

Winner – Organisation run by volunteers: Dementia Disco

Highly Commended: All for Ukraine; Brinnington SEND; OWLS

The full list of sponsors are as follows:

• Stockport Council
• Edgeley Park
• Stockport County Community Trust
• Marketing Stockport
• MusicMagpie
• APS
• The Light
• National Trust Lyme Park
• Kao Data
• PossAbilities
• Planisware
• Nexperia
• Stockport 8
• Cheadle Hulme School
• Stockport County FC
• THP Law
• Vernon Building Society
• Rowlinson
• CAF Rail Services
• John Lewis
• Right at Home