Awards success for Edinburgh volunteers

The awards, which are run by Volunteer Edinburgh, are held each year in Volunteers' Week, and recognise the range of organisations and individuals working in the city’s vibrant charity and non-profit sectors.

The Edinburgh committee of volunteers was recognised as a whole for the work they do delivering St John Scotland's services in their local area - including CPR training, Public Access Defibrillators and a recently launched Patient Transport service, which is currently in a successful pilot phase.

Alongside the wider team, individual volunteers were also presented with awards by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, in a ceremony at the City Chambers last night [Weds 1 June].

Committee chair Lynn Cleal was recognised for nurturing and motivating the Edinburgh team of volunteers, and for being the driving force behind the St John and the City Public Access Defibrillator Project. The project, which launched in 2016, has seen hundreds of life-saving devices installed across the city and surrounding areas, and thousands of people trained in CPR. Lynn was praised for the time and energy she has devoted to the project, engaging with communities and business across Edinburgh to ensure its success, and ultimately saving lives. 

Edinburgh CPR Lead Volunteer Anne Mitchell was also presented with an Inspiring Volunteer award, in recognition of the work she has done to facilitate CPR training in communities across the area. Since retiring as a nurse, Anne has not rested on her laurels but continues to use her skills and experience to not only teach members of the public life-saving bystander CPR, but to inspire dozens of younger volunteers to do the same.

Alongside his fellow volunteers, John Craig was also singled out for his contribution. As the team's lead Fundraising volunteer, John was recognised for using his passion and determination to organise their fundraising activities in support of St John Scotland. As well as overseeing several community can collection sites, John also organises the team's regular collections at Murrayfield, and has taken part in the Kiltwalk to raise funds for our life-saving services.

Commenting on the announcement of the awards, St John Scotland Chief Executive Officer, Angus Loudon, said: "We're so proud of all our volunteers at St John Scotland and always delighted when they are recognised in the way the Edinburgh team have been. On behalf of the whole St John Scotland family I'd like to extend my congratulations to Lynn, Anne, John and the team, and thank them for all that they contribute to our organisation, and all they do to serve their community."