Joanne Muscroft, Wickersley Store

Joanne has determination, courage, focus and is extremely driven and creative. She has overcome not only a drug addiction, but also losing her job and home as a result of the pandemic, and now volunteers in store 5 days a week. She has a strong work ethic and enthusiasm for any task she is asked to complete, coming to the store before opening to ensure that it is ready for the public and in the best position to raise as much money as possible for Barnardo’s. Joanne is a favourite with both volunteers and customers, and staff feel confident that the store is in capable hands while she is on shift. Her organisational skills are second to none and it is thanks to her that the stockroom and shop run smoothly. Volunteering gives Joanne something to focus on and gives her a feeling of self worth, giving her as much out of volunteering as she gives to other people. 

Deborah Christie

Deborah has volunteered at Abbeydale Rd for just over a year, during this time she has taken on the thankless task of sorting out bulk jewellery, which is generally tangled up and knotted. She also volunteers at outdoor fundraising events and on one occasion she sold the jewellery that she had untangled and raised £150. Deborah has continued to volunteer while taking in a Ukrainian refugee family and has asked that the mum is able to volunteer at the shop to learn more about the UK culture to help her settle in and build up her confidence.

Melanie Boulby Allen

Melanie suffers from Fibromyalgia and other health issues which affect her mobility, but this does not stop her from volunteering at the Woodlaithes store in Rotherham. She has taken charge of the store’s selling on Ebay, which has been a great help to staff who do not have the time to look after this important area of the store’s work on top of the rest of their work. Melanie initially volunteered 1 day a week, but once the influx of donations came after lockdown, she increased her commitment to 4-5 mornings a week. She painstakingly goes through all donations that are received to the store and takes any items that cannot be sold in the store to a car boot sale where she has a separate table to raise additional funds for Barnardo’s. Melanie’s sheer determination and passion for charity makes her stand out as a volunteer, even on the days where she is in a great deal of pain with her health issues. Since Melanie has started volunteering, the store has raised over £4,000 in online sales which they would not have been able to do without her. 

This Year’s Regional Winners are:

• Jane McCafferty
• Barbara Norman

Paul James Prendergast

Paul has been an ever-present volunteer at the Wavertree store in Liverpool, working 6 days a week since he started. He works in all areas of the business including stock taking, using the till and supporting the van drivers. He also supports another volunteer who has learning difficulties, working closely with him for many years to teach him all of the tasks that are involved in being a volunteer at the store. Throughout lockdown while the shop was closed, Paul kept in touch with the volunteer he supports, as well as attending the shop with the manager if the alarms were ever to go off. Paul’s dedication and support are unmatched, and he is a pleasure for staff to work with. He takes the lead in fundraisers and customers often comment about his professionalism when he makes visits to collect furniture, showing empathy in situations where he is making a legacy collection. 

This year’s Regional Winners are:

• – Michael Neal 
• – Glynn McNaughton 
• – Lena Western 
• – Sheila O’Dell  

Julie Thompson

Julie is a volunteer at the Coleraine Barnardo’s store, having started in her role 12 years ago as a support to her daughter who was also a volunteer. She is an amazing role model for Barnardo’s and embodies everything that the organisation stands for, which is evident in her dedication and commitment to her daughter who has Down’s Syndrome. Julie also helps to fundraise for Barnardo’s and has organised a coffee evening in a local residential home which raised £300. She is well liked by both staff and customers and is always willing to help with anything that needs doing in store as well as providing a great deal of donation for stock. Julie has represented the store during Volunteers’ Week events, as well as at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party. Julie is an embodiment of helping people to fulfill their potential, as not only does she help her daughter to do this, she supports the whole team and the store itself to do so.

This year’s Regional Winners are:

• Shropshire – Christine Copson
• Devon – Helen Maddock
• Yorkshire – Ellen Roe

Becca Miller

Becca is a volunteer at the Lincoln Community store. She has verbal dyspraxia and was extremely shy and lacking in confidence when she first began volunteering at the store. Becca has made a great transformation and is now an integral member of the team. She assists in the training and mentoring of other volunteers, has excellent customer service skills, promotes Barnardo’s fundraising activities in the store and is always willing to volunteer more hours when needed.

This year’s Regional Winners are:
– Glen Harvey – West Bromwich
– Kevin Williams – Thornhill
– Marysia Park – Cowdenbeath

Euna Russell

Euna has volunteered at the Barnardo’s store in Elgin for over 27 years, giving her time up to 6 days a week, and is a vital and integral part of the store. She mainly works back of house, getting donations ready to be put on sale, but also provides support to all members of the team, treating them all like family. Euna is fiery, hardworking, dedicated and caring and is the first to jump in when there is the opportunity to have fun – recently dressing as red riding hood for a fundraising event. During her time at the store, Euna has helped to raise over £2 million and she shows no sign of giving up her volunteering role soon!

Beverley Scholey

Beverley is a key volunteer at the Barnardo’s store in Camborne and also gives her time to volunteer in a number of stores across Cornwall. She works extremely hard to meet the targets and objectives of each individual store and offers excellent service to each customer she sees.

Beverley has now completed her full training and has also begun an NVQ in Customer Service to enhance her skills even further. She is creative in producing new window displays, knowledgeable about the stock in each of the stores she volunteers at and is a dedicated and reliable volunteer.

Sandra Robinson

Sandra volunteers at the Barnardo’s Children’s Store in Pocklington, Yorkshire. She has been a foster parent for 28 years and in that time has fostered over 100 children. Despite this, she manages to volunteer every week, serving customers at the till and ensuring that the highest quality items are presented for sale within the store.

Frome Store Volunteers

The volunteers at the Barnardo’s store in Frome have demonstrated an unswerving commitment to Barnardo’s. In 2013, when the two store managers became unwell, the volunteers rallied to support the one remaining staff member by maintaining the high standards at the store and continuing to raise vital funds for the organisation.

Fiona Jeffrey

Fiona Jeffrey has been a volunteer at the Barnardo’s shop in Wishaw North Lanarkshire, Scotland since June 2012. She is an asset to the team and a very reliable volunteer. She has overcome a number of personal struggles to become one of the most skilled volunteers in the store, having previously not wanted to have responsibility in her role.

Pat Jackson

Pat Jackson is a dedicated and committed volunteer at the Barnardo’s Morely store in Yorkshire, and has been since the store opened. She is loyal, enthusiastic, has a passion for the work that Barnardo’s does and often volunteers to run the shop on Sundays so that other volunteers can spend time with their families.