Lincoln store volunteer chosen as BBC Volunteer of the Year finalist
We catch up with Stephen Currie, a volunteer in our Lincoln store (L33), who has been selected as a finalist in the BBC Volunteer of the Year Awards and his Shop Manager, Joanne Tootal, about why she nominated Stephen for the award.
Stephen has been volunteering for the BHF for a year now, gifting his time to the store by function-testing the electricals and helping out in the warehouse. In 2005, Stephen was diagnosed with leukaemia during which his body was so low on blood that his heart was beating dangerously fast. Stephen credits the BHF for supporting him at this time, saying “I had to have some treatment on my heart to make this better, which I’m sure was discovered during BHF research”.
As well as having a close connection to the cause, Stephen began volunteering with the BHF as a way to “gain more experience, to learn new skills” and to develop the knowledge that he “built up whilst volunteering for another charity”.
Stephen is also deaf and has numerous health conditions, but praises the Lincoln store for the support that they have provided him. He tells us, “The paid team at L33 has been very supportive towards helping me and all the volunteers”. He continues, “I feel very valued and supported in my role”.
Firmly believing that “volunteers are the backbone to any charity”, Stephen shares why he is so committed to volunteering at the BHF.
“I am a part of a network of volunteers who are making a difference to people's lives”.
Joanne Tootal, Shop Manager of the Lincoln store, tells us why she initially nominated Stephen for the award:
“I nominated Stephen for many reasons, the main ones being his commitment, dedication and never-ending joy that he spreads around the store. His principal role is function testing our electrical donations, but he goes far beyond that in many ways. He is supportive of all the new volunteers who join the team, is responsible for organising any social functions to help build team morale and even spends hours organising online quizzes that are aimed mainly at the volunteers who live alone and who benefit greatly from this social interaction”.
Stephen and Joanne have been invited along to the presentation evening in September by the BBC to find out the winner of the award. We wish Stephen the very best with the rest of the competition and pass on our huge congratulations for being selected as a finalist!