An amateur football club which went above and beyond during the pandemic is among those to be recognised for remarkable volunteer work in Dundee.
Dundee West FC, previously dubbed the best community football club in the country by the SFA, was held up as an example at the Dundee Volunteer Awards 2020 on Thursday night.
The team landed the Covid-19 Community Response Volunteer Team of the Year award while its club development officer Tam McCabe also won the individual award.
The club’s focus has been on supporting the Kirkton Community Food Larders.
In partnership with Kirkton Community Centre and The Attic, Dundee West volunteers helped pack more than 1,200 food parcels for more than 120 vulnerable families per week so they could avoid travelling to shops and spending money during such difficult times.
Tam put on weekly socially-distanced fitness activities promoting health and well-being, along with theory-based sessions to improve social skills.
As lockdown restrictions eased, Tam pulled together local groups to run a new street fitness initiative for families to take part in dance and Zumba from their gardens.
He also spent time each day reaching out to residents to provide shopping, collect prescriptions, walk dogs, and make more than 250 phone calls to say hello and encourage vulnerable residents to stay at home and avoid exposure to the virus.
The awards recognised stalwarts who have been putting in work for years in Dundee’s communities, as well as new heroes who have stepped up during the pandemic.
Anita Jamieson, volunteer and organisational development manager at Volunteer Dundee said: “All our finalists have shown dedication and commitment to their volunteering role and through this they have enhanced the services available to people in Dundee.
“Due to Covid-19 we have had to do things differently, but we still celebrated the achievements of the volunteers by marking the occasion with an online ceremony and sharing the amazing stories of all the finalists!’
The Volunteer of the Year accolade was handed to Francis Smith, from Dundee Community Transport.
Francis has volunteered on the Out & About bus since its launch back in November 2018.
The bus is aimed at the over-65 community and helps get people out and about and prevent social isolation. He volunteers from 9.30am until about 2pm five days a week.
Elizabeth Waine, from Alternatives Dundee, which supports those experiencing unintended pregnancy, abortion, or pregnancy loss, won the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Kathryn Mackenzie Make A Difference Award went to Ann Brown, from BeFriends Limited, which offers one-to-one befriending for vulnerable and disadvantaged youths.
Caitlyn Tadden-Paterson, from Link Up Whitfield won the Volunteer Manager of the Year award while the Volunteer Team of the Year title went to Kirkton Community Larder.
Shiona Baird, from Tayside Re-Users, which promotes the environment through re-use and recycling, won the Trustee of the Year title.
