Staff and student volunteers from the University of Reading were celebrated at the inaugural Celebration of Volunteering awards, held on April 27.

The event, held at the Whiteknights campus, brought together more than 150 students, staff, alumni, supporters, and members of the community to celebrate the range of volunteering work being done by the University community.

Working in partnership with Reading Students’ Union (RSU), the University made awards across six categories including Student Volunteer of the Year, Staff Volunteer of the Year and Fundraiser of the Year.

170 nominations were made in total.

Winners:

Staff Volunteer of the Year (on and off campus)

  • Nathan Helsby – Has run a free community choir and has been a coach for Whiteknights Football Club for the last 10 years.
  • Gurinder Purewal – Encouraged vaccine uptake among faith groups and homeless people during the pandemic.

Student Volunteer of the Year (on and off campus)

  • Ramandeep Nijjar – Numerous voluntary roles, including Green Volunteers and co-running the Hedgehog Society.
  • Juliane ten Hoevel – Works with a Reading-based charity helping to tackle period poverty, and with the Foodshare programme at Wycliffe Baptist Church.

Ramandeep Nijjar said: “I’ve always loved volunteering. It allows me to make a positive difference, even if it’s just a small difference. It’s really lovely when you get to meet other people that have that same passion or interest that you do and you can collectively unite to make a bigger impact together.”

Alumni and Supporter Volunteer of the Year

  • Jack Abrey – Narrates books to enable blind and partially sighted children to access a wide variety of educational topics.
  • Hilary Withey – Works with ABC Nepal, an organisation supporting women and girls who have been victims of trafficking, rape and domestic violence.
  • Clive and Sheila Payne – Members of the local community who pick up litter on campus.

RSU Fundraiser of the Year

  • Rizzy Burrow – Raised over £2,400 for charity by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

RSU Community Project of the Year

  • University of Monsters – A project giving local primary school children a taste of university life.

RSU Student Project of the Year

  • Marrow – A student society that fundraises and recruits new donors to the Anthony Nolan stem cell register.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, vice-chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “We have many volunteers in our University community, doing such a wide variety of volunteering roles. It was fantastic to come together to give these people the recognition they deserve. I was incredibly inspired to hear all of the volunteering stories and learn more about the impact these have on our surrounding communities.”

The evening featured an inspiring speech from Nancy Mudenyo Hunt, who was born in Kenya and founded a charity to help people from her home country get out of poverty.

Ms Mudenyo Hunt received an honorary degree from from the University in December 2022.

An exhibition will also be on display in the Library foyer from until Friday, May 5.