Community Link Up nominated Hilda, age 17, for Harrow Young Heroes which recognises and celebrates the efforts of volunteers in Harrow. She was nominated for Young Volunteer of the Year and Overall Volunteer of the Year and won both categories.
For the past three years, Hilda has been volunteering regularly for Community Link Up, a local charity that aims to integrate people with learning disabilities into the community. She regularly attended the Link Up 1:1 Club which provides entertainment for adults in the form of a disco and board games. Her responsibilities included taking the register, serving customers refreshments as well as chatting with the club members. In the summer holidays she took part in a Cookery Class in which she assisted the clients with the preparation of dishes, co-running Contemporary Classes and helped out with the Summer Club for young people with learning disabilities.
In addition, she has been involved in the organisation of Under One Sky for the past three years which has developed her interest for project management. Furthermore, Hilda does administrative work for Community Link Up as well as organising trips for the days out.
Hilda said, ‘My involvement in volunteering has greatly heightened my empathy towards the needs of others. I have also enhanced my interpersonal, organisational and time-management skills. Volunteering is an extremely rewarding experience as you can utilise your talents to make a positive impact in your community.’
For further information visit http://www.linkup.org.uk/