A HOSPICE hero has been awarded for his ‘outstanding’ contribution to the community.
Richard Green volunteers for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice which provides vital support to families living with terminal illness in Solihull and Birmingham.
Richard is part of the hospice’s income generation team and won Community Volunteer of the Year at the Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) awards at Soho House earlier this month.
Having dedicated five years to the fundraising and event planning for the charity, he took home the ‘acclaimed gong’.
The award-winner was also praised for his role in the organisation’s ‘Treecycling’ campaign – a seasonal initiative which recycles unwanted Christmas trees while raising funds for the hospice.
His support in writing proposals, securing sponsorship deals and mapping out collection routes helped raise £33,000 earlier this year, which is a 32 per cent increase from last year.
Richard said: “Winning this award is not only rewarding from a personal point of view but it is a fantastic way of raising the profile of the hospice and our brilliant Treecycling campaign.
“Seeing our community grow year-on-year is gratifying and I’m proud to be a part of it.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fundraising team at the hospice for their help, support and friendship, and for giving me the opportunity to work on some amazing projects and events – it has been both a privilege and a pleasure.”
Tina Swani, CEO at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Richard is an exceptional volunteer and we couldn’t be prouder of his award win.
“His specialist skills, and his drive, passion and positive thinking, have had a huge impact on the fundraising team and the campaigns he regularly supports.
“Without Richard’s help – or the assistance of our other 400 volunteers – we wouldn’t be able to provide such a wide range of services to support local families living with terminal illness.”
