Marsh Charitable Trust – Marsh Volunteer Awards with Dogs for Good

Marsh Volunteer Awards with Dogs for Good

These Awards with Dogs for Good recognise volunteers who go above and beyond across a range of services that the organisation provides to services users. The Awards recognise 12 volunteers overall.

These Award categories include:

– Puppy Volunteer of the Year: recognising a volunteer who is involved with raising or looking after the puppies that will be trained as assistance dogs.

– Fundraiser or Supporter Group Volunteer of the Year: recognising a volunteer who has raised significant funds for the charity or taken part in activities with their local Supporter Group.

– Community Impact Volunteer of the Year: recognising a volunteer whose work for Dogs for Good has helped to raise awareness of the charity in the wider community.

– Dog Volunteer of the Year: recognising a volunteer that supports the care of assistance dogs at any age.

– Volunteer Speaker of the Year: recognising a volunteer that speaks publicly about the work of Dogs for Good, in order to raise awareness and encourage support.

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Winners 2024

Community Impact Volunteer of the Year

Carol Shearman – Carol is an extremely versatile volunteer and dedicates much of her time to Dogs for Good, as an integral part of the Volunteer Reception and Admin Team. Carol is extremely reliable and can be seen at the centre every Wednesday and is highly adaptable to taking on new responsibilities and challenges.

Dog Volunteer of the Year

Melaine and Kevin Bennett– Melaine and Kevin took their current Dogs for Good assistance dog, Sherwood, into their care with no notice in an emergency after his client sadly and suddenly passed away. They have gone above and beyond to become his long term boarders.

Fundraising or Supporter Group Volunteer of the Year

Ken MacIver and Denise Cronin – Ken and Denise have shown unquestionable commitment to Dogs for Good since 2007. They dedicate countless hours to volunteering and 2024 has been a particularly busy year. As well as raising and training Dogs for Good puppies, Ken and Denise are pillars for the fundraising community and have spearheaded multiple fundraising initiatives.

Martha Hall – Martha is fundraising for Dogs for Good for the second year in a row. She started off with walking 50 miles across May to raise money in memory of her Mum who passed away in 2023, with a goal to overcome her disability and raise £5,000 so she can name a dog in memory of her mum, Libbi.

Mary Lamb – Mary has been fundraising ever since she got her first assistance dog many years ago. She has been an amazing supporter of Dogs for Good, raising awareness about the charity, and along with her assistance dog Sheldon is doing the 3 peaks challenge in her wheelchair, the first woman in a wheelchair to do this.

Sarah Carr – Sarah has volunteered for the charity for 30 years and has been involved with all aspects of fundraising, raising awareness, and even wrote a book about the history of the charity. Sarah has a huge list of contacts due to her many year’s involvement in a variety of different roles with the charity including as a puppy socialiser, founder member, chair and treasurer of a support group, plus as a registered speaker.

‘Other’

Catherine Noel – Catherine is a volunteer reception team member and also assists with gathering information for the charity’s Puppy Partners Sponsorship Programme. Catherine is also a volunteer boarder herself and so has the skills and knowledge to communicate with other socialisers.

Puppy Volunteer of the Year

Davina and Steve Williams – Davina and Steve have been puppy socialisers for many years, and have successfully socialised six Dogs for Good puppies that have been allocated to clients. They have adapted their home to make it dog friendly and with keenness, keep in touch with other socialisers and temporary boarders.

Emma Price – Emma is a star volunteer and is dedicated to attending every Dogs for Good event, representing the charity perfectly. Emma is now socialising her seventh puppy, all of which have done brilliantly in their roles.

Len Tunnicliffe – Len has been a puppy socialiser and brood stock holder for many years, and is currently looking after a number of dogs. In the last 12 months he has raised two litters of puppies with his current Dogs for Good dogs. Len has supported the charity through fundraising to name two puppies in his wife’s memory.

Pearl Watts – Pearl goes above and beyond to help Dogs for Good board young puppies, including those who have health issues. This year, Pearl has supported a number of puppies that required a patient volunteer to give each puppy specialist care and love, giving each one the best possible chance in life.

Volunteer Speaker of the Year

Shaun Todd – Shaun is the volunteer fundraiser and speaker for West Oxfordshire. He spent lockdown researching and purchasing vintage items to create a new talk on the history and etiquette of afternoon tea that he could deliver to Women’s Institutes to raise awareness and donations for Dogs for Good.

Previous Winners

Andrea Cullen, Beryl and Dave Rounsely, Helen Butcher, Annie Rourke, Lindsay Jones, Yvonne Hallows, Katy Nayler, John Hawthorn, Bridget Jeffery, Ed Garland, Peter Everett, and Desna McAll

Puppy Volunteer

Andrea Cullen – Andrea is a Breed Stock Holder, caring for the brood bitch in her home as they prepare to give birth to their litter, and has been responsible for a number of litters of puppies throughout the years.

Beryl and Dave Rounsley – Beryl and Dave have been active volunteers for many years, both as puppy socialisers and boarders. They recently took on their 20th puppy to socialise for the charity, which is an incredible achievement.

Helen Butcher – Helen has been volunteering since 2015 and has dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to the charity, caring for broods and socialising and boarding over 35 dogs in her home.

Fundraiser or Supporter Group Volunteer

Annie Rourke – Annie has been the driving force behind the Milton Keynes Supporter Group, pretty much running the fundraising team single handedly. She has been the group’s main contact with other organisations they have collaborated with and has made cards and crafts to sell on stalls at various events to help with fundraising.

Lindsay Jones – Lindsay is one of the charity’s youngest volunteers, developing her relationship with Dogs for Good through her parents becoming volunteer puppy socialisers. Lindsay’s skills as a successful fundraiser and speaker enable her to engage with diverse audiences and spread the word about the charity and the important work that they do even wider.

Yvonne Hallows – Yvonne is the Treasurer of the Banbury and District Supporter Group. Yvonne never stops knitting to create an array of items to sell at fundraising events, and has built a network of other crafters.

Community Impact Volunteer

Katy Nayler – Katy has been a volunteer since 2017 and held a wide range of roles throughout her time with the charity. She has socialised and boarded dogs, been an active fundraiser and speaker and is always looking for ways to share the work of the charity.

John Hawthorn – John has been a volunteer since 2020, is an active member of the Warwickshire and Coventry Supporter Group, giving talks to the local community and taking part in many fundraising events. Thanks to John’s influence, a local school has raised over £10,000 for Dogs for Good.

Bridget Jeffery – Bridget is a retired occupational therapist who volunteers her time to support the Instructor Team and their clients at Dogs for Good. The Instructor Team work with the puppy trainers to match dogs with clients and identify any additional needs that the client might have at this time.

Dog Volunteer

Ed Garland – Ed previously volunteered as a socialiser for Dogs for Good, before becoming the inaugural kennel volunteer and an intrinsic part of the Health and Welfare team. He is a reliable volunteer, never complaining about the challenge of working with such a range of dogs.

Peter Everett – Peter has been a volunteer driver for over 11 years, taking trips all over the country to transport dogs to their new homes. He is well known to staff and other volunteers for his dedication to the organisation and is a true asset to the team of drivers.

Volunteer Speaker

Desna McAll – Desna has been a speaker and fundraiser for Dogs for Good since 2014, joining the charity after hearing about their work with individuals suffering from dementia at Crufts. She has taken part in a number of fundraising events to support their work and raised vital funds.