FareShare Volunteers’ Celebration 2024

20 November 2024

FareShare was delighted to recently host our fifth annual Volunteers’ Celebration. The celebration is in recognition of our valued volunteers - who generously donate their time, skills and support to make sure good-to-eat surplus food gets to people and communities that need it.  

From helping hands-on in our warehouses packing food, delivering food, to providing admin and fundraising support - we are achieving our vision thanks to the commitment and contribution of our dedicated volunteers. 

More than 1,000 people across the FareShare Network joined the Celebration in late October. Each FareShare Regional Centre hosted a spectacular event for volunteers, where they presented the annual FareShare Volunteer Awards, certificates of contribution and long-service hi-vis vests. Volunteers and staff gathered for the events over delicious food, and even better company.  

Congratulations to our 36 FareShare Volunteer Award winners. These volunteers were nominated by their colleagues as having made an exceptional contribution to FareShare in the last year. A full list of recipients is below. The panel reviewing the nominations were touched by the affect nominees had on their fellow volunteers and groups we provide food to, further demonstrating the invaluable impact of volunteers in our communities.  

In addition to the FareShare Awards, we celebrated 94 volunteers' commitment to volunteering with personalised long-service hi-vis vests. A full list of recipients is below. A very special mention to the following for 10+ years of volunteering; Ellen Smith, G. Reid, J. Stewart, Lee, Maria Urmos, Mike Pearce and to Siobhan Gallagher for 15 years of volunteering.

The highlight of the event for many was recognising the inspiring stories of volunteers, sharing in each other’s celebrations, and reflecting on the incredible impact our volunteers have on the local communities.  

Thank you to every volunteer for your generosity, compassion and hard work that you continue to give to FareShare and the people we support. 

Congratulations to our 2024 FareShare Volunteer Award Winners: 

Admin Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Sandra Staufer, FareShare Sussex & Surrey – Brighton
Highly Commended: Jessica Skinner, FareShare Cymru

Driver Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Craig Smith, FareShare Yorkshire – Leeds
Winner: Dave, FareShare Sussex & Surrey – Guildford
Highly Commended: Arthur Kerr, FareShare Central and South East Scotland 
Highly Commended: Tom Shephard, FareShare Greater Manchester 
Highly Commended: Volunteer, FareShare Thames Valley

Driver’s Assistant Volunteer of the Year 
Winner: Paul Slater, FareShare Central and South East Scotland 

Highly Commended: Xana Millard, FareShare North East – Newcastle 

Excellence in Volunteering Award
Winner: Debbie Andalo and Alison Bartlett, FareShare Sussex & Surrey – Brighton
Highly Commended: Celia Knight, FareShare Midlands
Highly Commended: Jean Taylor, FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria
Highly Commended: Jed, FareShare South Midlands 

Fundraising Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Kieron Brosnan, FareShare South West - Bristol 

Leadership in Volunteering Award
Winner: Beverley Smith, FareShare Yorkshire - Leeds
Winner: Tony Havelock, FareShare North East - Middlesbrough 

Regional Centre Volunteer Team of the Year
Winner: FareShare Merseyside
Highly Commended: FareShare Northern Ireland 

Teamwork Award
Winner: Erimus Rotary Club of Middlesbrough, FareShare North East – Middlesbrough
Highly Commended: Monday Morning Warriors, FareShare South West – Bristol 

The Bright Idea Award
Winner: Keith Meader, FareShare Southern Central 

The Perfect Pear Award
Winner: Ged and Julie Donnelly, FareShare Greater Manchester
Highly Commended: Alan Arnott and Bob Brown, FareShare Southern Central
Highly Commended: Gillian Brown and Valerie Penfold, FareShare Thames Valley 

The Rising Star Award
Winner: Clifford Purvis, FareShare Northern Ireland
Highly Commended: Carolyn, FareShare Sussex & Surrey – Guildford
Highly Commended: Jordan Stone, FareShare South West – Bristol
Highly Commended: Taylor Jackson, FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria 

Volunteer Manager of the Year
Winner: Emma Bogué, FareShare Sussex & Surrey – Brighton 

Warehouse Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Janice Thompson, FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria
Winner: Stephen Kerley, FareShare North East – Middlesbrough
Highly Commended: Chrissie Clarke, FareShare Greater Manchester
Highly Commended: Danny Jones, FareShare Yorkshire - Barnsley
Highly Commended: Janet Evans, FareShare Cymru
Highly Commended: Qamar Dad, FareShare North East - Newcastle
Highly Commended: Tony Sanders, FareShare Midlands 

Thank you to our 2024 Long-Service Volunteers: 

FareShare Central and South East Scotland
10+ years of volunteering: G. Reid, J. Stewart
5+ years of volunteering: C. Malone, G. Picken, G. Weatherstone, L. Wallace, N. Sherriff, P. Cadger, S. Murray, S. McCallum, W. Gove 

FareShare Cymru
5+ years of volunteering: Ian Evans, Jessica Skinner, Joanna Huddart, Judith Chadd, Simon Huddart

FareShare East Anglia
5+ years of volunteering: Dominique Young, John Griffin, Maggie Kinlan, Sue Morgan 

FareShare Greater Manchester
5+ years of volunteering: Ged Donnelly, Hoida Esmail 

FareShare Hull & Humber 

5+ years of volunteering: Lee, Janet, Jayne, Steve

FareShare Kent
5+ years of volunteering: Bob Bevan, John Kidgell, Kim Fitzsimmons, Vic Leury 

FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria 

5+ years of volunteering: Chamayne Bradshaw, James Nagy, Jean Taylor 

FareShare Merseyside
5+ years of volunteering: Allan Bennett, John Burns, Sheila Anderson, Sue Walton 

FareShare Midlands – Narborough
5+ years of volunteering: Angela Roberts, Beth Miller, Fiona Bedford, Jane Broster, Judith Crone, Linda Greet, Veronica Miller 

FareShare Midlands – Nechells
10+ years of volunteering: Maria Urmos 

5+ years of volunteering: Brian Garry, Carol Hardy, Geoffrey Thayer, Gurjeevan Bains, Jeff Whitworth, Linda Allen, Nicholas Reynolds 

Fareshare Midlands - South Wigston 
10+ years of volunteering: Ellen Smith 

5+ years of volunteering: Callum Buckley, Christine Preston, Christopher Wicks, Ian Chapman, Paul Broad, Steven Collins, Tony Youngjohns 

FareShare North East - Newcastle 

5+ years of volunteering: Anne Ingham, Adrian Winder, Chris Parsons, Dave Barber, David Dale, Jacqui Mcnamara, Jo Van Der Linden, John Bower, John Hylton, Leslie Walker, Nigel Clegg, Stephen Fenn, Terry Thompson, Xana Millard 

FareShare Northern Ireland
15+ years of volunteering: Siobhan Gallagher
5+ years of volunteering: Danny Young, Denise McNicholl, Feras Bakour, Maureen Maxwell, Robin Maxwell 

FareShare South West – Bristol
10+ years of volunteering: Mike Pearce
5+ years of volunteering: Faraz Anwar 

FareShare Southern Central
9 volunteers have completed 5+ years of volunteering

FareShare Tayside & Fife
5+ years of volunteering: Ann Murray, Graham Murray, Tom Gray