For Nicola Russell* the presentation on Tuesday of the King’s Award for Voluntary Service to the Tadcaster Volunteer Community Support Association (TVCSA) will be a poignant moment.
Nicola is one of many people in the North Yorkshire town whose life has been transformed by the work of the charity, which is now receiving Royal recognition for its work helping people attend medical appointments.
About 50 TVCSA volunteers will be presented with the award by the King’s Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Jo Roper at the Riley Smith Hall.
Nicola has hidden disabilities and was at a low physical and mental ebb when she first volunteered, over 3 years ago, to help the charity at their shop selling affordable second-hand goods in Tadcaster.
“She would only come with her mother and despite being warmly greeted by our volunteers kept her head down and was unsure of herself,” said charity worker Katrina Talbot.
“Her lack of self-confidence meant that she did not want to be customer facing, so we arranged for her to do some sorting in our store.”
But as the weeks passed, Nicola grew in self-confidence and strength. She has come off anti-depressants, lost weight and wears more colourful clothes.
She also no longer felt the need to be accompanied by her mother when volunteering at the store, progressing from working in the back to operating the cash tills, organising the window displays and even running the charity’s social media accounts.
It is a remarkable change and wonderful to see.
“I wanted to do something that enabled me to meet new people and feel more useful,” Nicola said.
“Katrina and the other volunteers gave me a new purpose in life as well as making me feel welcome and appreciated.
“It’s so refreshing for me to come across people who accept my disabilities and take me for who I am. I love working here and this Award is richly deserved.”
Nicola now works regularly at the shop, also becoming a valuable Trustee of the charity.
TVCSA’s volunteers are receiving the Award for over 35 years of community work, including providing community transport to help elderly and infirm people who cannot use public transport get to medical appointments and shopping trips. It is estimated that the volunteer drivers have completed 135,000 such journeys over the years. This, together with the volunteers who run the affordable charity shop and its other community support work makes TVCSA stand out.
“The aim is to help individuals enjoy a better independent quality of life,” Katrina said.
“Nicola’s story shows how we have succeeded in doing that.”
But Nicola is by no means the only individual whose life had been immeasurably improved by the charity.
Countless others have benefited from the services it provides, including its social food programme.
“We don’t see ourselves as the objective, we are simply a stepping stone that enables people to regain confidence and self-esteem,” Katrina said.
The Award on Tuesday will be received on behalf of the volunteers by TVCSA Chair Ian Talbot.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be part of this wonderful organisation and to be able to accept it on behalf of our team of outstanding volunteers,” he said.
- Not Nicola’s real surname
The TVCSA can be contacted on 01937 835600, tvcsa.tad@outlook.com