Skip to navigation | Skip to main content | Skip to footer
Menu
Search the University of Manchester siteSearch Menu StaffNet

Volunteer of the Year awards honour staff, students and alumni

10 May 2013

President thanks those who help our public-funded University “give something back”.

Volunteer of the Year awards

A community group’s “Mount Etna”, a “smiley, enthusiastic, warm” student who helps homeless women, and someone who thinks devoting 160 hours a year to the Samaritans helpline is “nothing out of the ordinary” – the University’s Volunteer of the Year awards honoured them all, and many more.

President and Vice Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said the 56 shortlisted nominees – nine staff, 28 students and 19 alumni – helped our University give something back to the community that funds us and assessing the list had rightly been described as “humbling” by one of the judging panel.

Dr Sheena Tyler (PhD Zoology 1994) was presented with the Alumni award for her work with the Longdendale Community Group, inspiring hundreds of people to let their community voice be known, notably in the deprived area of Hattersley, and organising diverse community activities. Described as “the Mount Etna of the group” by one of her friends, she has worked tirelessly and engaged, on behalf of the community, with local Councillors, MPs, Government Ministers and the Prime Minister. Other work includes organising a survey of Hattersley residents, which was published in the local press and expressed the need for a greater police presence, more local shops and arts, crafts and recreational facilities.

Alice Engelhard (studying for a BA Hons in European Studies and Spanish) was presented with the Student award for taking on the role of lead coordinator of our Women’s Shelter project, in a local shelter for homeless women. A fantastic role model and leader, described by various co-workers as “smiley…enthusiastic…warm”, she leads a team of volunteers in organising an activity every Sunday afternoon for the women to bring them together and teach them new skills. The team also helped build a community garden at the shelter, allowing the residents to make decisions and shape their own environment.

Dr Rebecca O’Loughlin (Careers and Employability Division) was presented with the Staff award for sustained commitment to the Samaritans helpline. She has worked as a listening volunteer in Leeds for 11 years, dedicating around 160+ hours per year, and currently volunteers for four hours every two weeks. In addition she does seven early shifts (1am to 7am) and three late shifts (11 pm to 1 am) each year and eight hours of training, has taken on several leadership roles and was part of the Prison team providing regular face to face support for inmates at Leeds Prison. Despite all this, her friends say, she doesn’t think that what she does is extraordinary.

Organisers of the awards, the Division of Careers and Employability have produced films on the winners of the three categories:

The three were also presented with the University Medal for Social Responsibility and funding for their organisations. The two runners up for each section also received funding.

The full shortlist of nominees:

  • Students – Harriet Rose Andrews (School of Social Sciences), Annalise Baker (Manchester Business School), Jonathon Bigwood (School of Arts, Languages & Cultures), Edward Booton (School of Social Sciences), Chloe Brant (School of Arts, Languages & Cultures), Cheriece Carter (School of Psychological Sciences), Victoria Duthie (School of Arts, Languages & Cultures), James Gill (School of Mathematics), Emma Hughes (School of Medicine), James Humphreys (School of Medicine), Junaid Iqbal and Nadeem Sabir (School of Dentistry), William Tirion Keatinge (School of Environment & Development), Inigo Kelsey (School of Social Sciences), Rebecca Kerr (School of Arts, Languages & Cultures), Millie Loxton (School of Psychological Sciences), Jake Menzer (School of Environment & Development), Jessica Nightingale (School of Social Sciences), Sarah Ommaney (School of Environment & Development), Lia Pan (Manchester Business School), Lanisia Rhoden (Manchester Business School), Josh Rowan (School of Social Sciences), Polly Rusby (School of Medicine), Amanda Sarrazin (School of Arts, Languages & Cultures), Tanvi Shah (Faculty of Life Sciences), Ruth Shevlan (School of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering), Claire Smith (School of Psychological Sciences) and Jake Stretton (School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work).
  • Staff - Alison Firth (John Rylands Library), Cath Foster (Manchester Business School), Brendon Jones (Sport, Trading & Residential Services), Professor Yaron Matras (School of Arts, Languages & Cultures), Pauline Morgan (Directorate of Finance), Andrew Smith (School of Physics & Astronomy), Professor James Thompson (School of Arts, Languages & Cultures) and Phil Tresadern (Institute of Population Health).
  • Alumni – Lalith Abeysinghe (MEd Adult Educ & Literacy for Rural Dev 1994), Sir Richard Cheltenham (PhD 1973), Kevin Coogan (BA(Hons) Drama 1991), Jamie Fox (BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science and Mathematics 2012), Rob Lennox (BSocSc Politics and International Relations 2012), Pok Lai Stephen Li (BSc (Hons) Chemistry 1986), Annelise Manchester (BA(Hons) Combined Humanities 2008), Sian Millward (BA (Hons) Applied Community & Youth Work Studies 2012), Peter W Mount CBE (BSc (Ord) Mechanical Engineering 1961), Bipin Patel (BSc (Hons) Psychology 1998), Dr Nasreen Beena Shikdar (PhD Sociology 2004), Zara Skitt (MPhil Medicine (Human Dev) 2013), Deborah Streatfield (BA (Hons) Geography 1982), Jessica Trevis (BA (Hons) History and Sociology 2012), Professor Fernando G Torres (PhD Mechanical Engineering 1999), Gavin White (BArch 2001), Kate Woolley (MEng (Hons) Civil Engineering 2004) and Ernest Glyndwr Young (BA (Hons) French and Spanish 1960).