Community Pride Awards 2011: Volunteer of the Year (From York Press)
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Community Pride Awards 2011: Volunteer of the Year
12:13pm Tuesday 25th October 2011 in Community Pride news
Annette Wilkes (right) of sponsor York Racecourse Hospitality, presents the Volunteer of the Year award to Sallyanne Gatus with her daughter Laura.
Winner: Sallyanne Gatus
Runners Up: Maggie Potter, June Whittaker
Our panel found this one of the most difficult categories to judge, because there were so many excellent nominations.
All three finalists have showed great community spirit, with 71-year-old Maggie Potter’s tireless enthusiasm at York Wheels, and her assistance with the Knit and Natter Groups at Fairfax Court helping to raise £31,000 for the Special Care Baby Unit at York Hospital.
June Whittaker’s dedication to the Bishopthorpe community was also praised by the judges, after she spent more than 20 years volunteering with the local playgroup, Brownies, Neighbourhood Watch and First Responder teams, but it was cancer survivor Sallyanne’s story that most affected our judges.
She promised “to make every moment of every day count”, and by creating a gardening club at Dringhouses Primary School to help build positive life-long memories for her children, she has done just that.
Sallyanne, who accepted the award with her daughter Laura, said: “When you’re diagnosed with breast cancer or any life threatening illness it changes your life and makes every second of every day mean so much.
“I wanted to be able to give something to my children, the memories are so important. I have two beautiful children, so I am going to survive the breast cancer.”
When asked what she thought to her mother’s award and speech, daughter Laura, age six, said simply: “Very impressive!”
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