FFB stalwart Tracy wins Barnet Volunteer of the Year award
Tracy receives her award from Charmaine Carr of Barnet Group
We are absolutely delighted that Tracy Simmons, one of our volunteers and a Friday session leader, won a Barnet Community Award, recognising her contribution to the Foodbank and the borough.
She won ‘Volunteer of the Year’ in the over 25s category and the Barnet Community Awards team made a special visit to the Foodbank to present her with her award, and see her in action, this month.
The awards recognise Barnet residents who have gone above and beyond in supporting their fellow neighbours across the borough. Tracy’s award acknowledges the challenges she faces as a deaf person, volunteering at the Foodbank and leading donations sessions.
Tracy said “I’m thrilled and surprised to win this award, and proud to volunteer for FFB and support people in crisis in our borough. The recognition is lovely, thank you, but also for all of us who volunteer. It’s a team effort!”
Our manager Rachel Nelson said “Tracy is a dedicated and active volunteer at FFB where she has overcome the challenging barrier of being deaf in order to lead donations sessions, communicating with volunteers and donors. We’re delighted to see her recognised in this way.”
Friday early shift at FFB donations session - preparing to give Tracy her award
Finchley Foodbank has been nominated several times for the Voluntary Sector Organisation or Charity of the Year award and we are always pleased and proud to be among the local community groups and the voluntary sector in supporting the most vulnerable in Barnet. Several of our volunteers were nominated for the Volunteer of the Year award, including our digital champion Jonathan Baker-Bates, long-term volunteer Sue Barker and Andrew Parks, a member of our Management Group who has led our successful digitisation programme.
Nominee Sue Barker attended the awards ceremony and said: “It was great fun. There were six people in our category and a lady won who had set up a local women’s football team and it was well deserved. However, as the organisers too, we were all winners. I blushed when I read my nomination in the brochure . It was a lovely validation and it was better than any physical prize. I am chuffed as chips. ”
Barnet Group Community Awards Nominees and Presenters