Awards for Bristol’s Green Volunteers mark the end of the European Year of Volunteering

Local volunteers gathered together yesterday, Tuesday 6th December, for a Green Volunteers conference and the first ever Bristol Green Volunteers awards.

Around 60 delegates from local volunteering and environmental organisations, as well as exemplary volunteers from around the city, attended the event at the Create Centre for a day of free workshops, discussions and debates, and a keynote speech from the BBC’s ‘The One Show’ resident naturalist, Mike Dilger.

The conference also hosted the awards ceremony for Bristol’s Green Volunteer Awards 2011, with awards presented by Bristol City Council leader, Cllr Barbara Janke.

“Earlier in the year, our Green Volunteer Project 2011 was chosen as one of only three flagship projects in the UK to receive funding from the EU, as part of it’s European Year of Volunteering,” says Cllr Janke.

“Bristol is filled with amazing people who are making a difference in the city, and this project aims to bring together these people and work together with the neighbourhood partnerships, community groups and volunteer organisations to tackle the environmental issues in our communities. It was a pleasure to meet some of the volunteers and award them for their outstanding contributions.”

Winner for Green Volunteer of the Year 2011 went to Pete Bullard from St Paul’s Neighbourhood, for his 15-year record of tireless green volunteering in St Paul’s. Paul has worked with St Agnes Park Group, the Tree Forum and The Parks Forum and chaired St Paul’s Unlimited External Environment and Arts & Culture task groups. Most recently, his green fingers have been developing the new St Paul’s Allotment Project.

Cllr Janke also presented the Councillors’ Special Green Volunteering Award 2011 to Rob and Susan Acton-Campbell, the driving force behind setting up the Friends of Troopers Hill group in 2003. The group now has 350 members and has flourished under Rob and Susan’s leadership, raising funds for new initiatives and events, such as monthly volunteer work groups on the reserve, the St George Strollers ‘walking for health’ group, tree planting days and open-air concerts.

Other awards included Project of the Year, which went to Barton Hill Walled Garden, for bringing the community together by creating a growing garden where residents can garden, grow, cook and eat healthy, sustainable meals. Special open days have been arranged for women and young children and BME groups, and the garden even hosted a ‘Homemade Festival' in September.

The Best Green Volunteer Leader went to Michael and Ashley Akin-Smith, for the Penny Brohn Cancer Care gardens project, whilst the Diversity Award went to Windmill Hill City Farm.

Savita Custead, chief executive of the Bristol Natural History Consortium, said: “The conference and award ceremony were a great way to mark the end of the European Year of Volunteering 2011. We have already had over 600 volunteers sign up to our new Green Volunteer web portal and we’re really pleased with the energy and enthusiasm local people are bringing to the scheme. We’re looking forward to working with our partners to develop the project further next year and ensure we can do even more for the city’s environmental projects and challenges.”

To find out more about the Bristol Green Volunteer project, go to www.greenvolunteersbristol.co.uk