Volunteers at the NSPCC’s shop in Cowes have been recognised at the children’s charity’s annual staff awards night by winning an Esther Award.
Hosted by Chief Executive Peter Wanless, the awards recognise staff members and volunteers who have made a big impact in the world of child protection.
The Esther Award category recognises innovation, imagination and creative approaches to problem-solving, with the aim of keeping children and young people safe.
This year the charity was honoured to have Rebecca Wilcox, Deputy President of Childline and Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter, join them to celebrate and announce the Esther Award winners.
A fixture of Shooters Hill for more than 40 years
The NSPCC’s charity shop has been a fixture of Shooters Hill in Cowes for more than 40 years and is run by Manager Georgina Lucas and an army of dedicated volunteers, many of whom have been supporting the shop for decades.
The team was nominated by NSPCC Community Fundraiser Gemma Graves. She explained,
“Thanks to Georgina and our wonderful volunteers, the NSPCC shop in Cowes is more community hub than charity shop.
“The shop is known locally for its creative window displays throughout the year to reflect the seasons. Every occasion from Christmas to Mothers’ Day to Halloween and Cowes Week is given the special window treatment and our volunteers help in finding the best donated items.
“The Esther Award is so well deserved. Over the years, the shop has seen floods, financial crisis and of course, the pandemic. This very special group of volunteers have kept the shop open through it all and continue to make it a success. It’s wonderful to recognise their special contribution.”
Lucas: We are majorly excited and so thrilled
Georgina Lucas, NSPCC Shop Manager, has been taking care of the shop since June 2021. Georgina, who lives in Cowes, said,
“We are absolutely over the moon to have been nominated and win an Esther Award!
“It’s so lovely for the shop to be recognised and the hard work that all the volunteers have put in to make the shop a welcoming place for everyone in the local community.
“It’s been the topic of conversation the past few days, and I imagine it will be for a while. We are majorly excited and so thrilled!”
To find out more about volunteering at the NSPCC shop, please contact Gemma Graves on [email protected].
News shared by Kelly on behalf of NSPCC. Ed
