Saltire Awards 2022
Last week saw COPE Ltd celebrating the fantastic achievements of five of the young people who have been working towards Saltire Awards with us. The Saltire Awards are the Scottish Government's way of celebrating, recognising and rewarding the commitment, contribution and achievements of young volunteers across Scotland. This year’s Shetland event, organised by Voluntary Action Shetland, was held at Mareel on the 6th of June, 2022.
Saltire Awards 2022It was a great success and a real celebration with Mocktails, fabulous music from the High Level Hot Club and catering by COPE’s own Shetland Kitchen Co. As we emerge from the pandemic, it was the first in-person celebration of this important annual event since 2019.
67 young Shetlanders between the ages of 12 and 25 received a total of 125 certificates between them, recognising a cumulative total of over 10,000 hours of volunteering with 25 different local groups, schools and organisations.
Alison Moar, COPE's Employability Manager, says "Each and every achievement is a shining example of the value of volunteering to our community and to the individuals and organisations involved. The Saltire Awards provide a great way of recognising and celebrating COPE’s core social purpose - all the personal success stories of young people building their personal and employability skills, gaining a sense of their own worth while also making a lasting contribution to our community. We are really proud of all our winners!"
Read on to meet COPE’s Award Winners for 2022.
Ellie Lynch received her 50- and 100-hour Saltire Awards for volunteering at both the Shetland Garden Co and Shetland Soap Company.
At the Shetland Garden Co, Ellie worked in the polytunnel on lots of different tasks like sowing seeds and then potting on young plants as they grew. With her bubbly and outgoing personality, she was a great asset to the Garden Co team. At the Shetland Soap Company Ellie helps picking and packing web orders, keeping the shelves stocked in the shop and cutting the beautiful soap swirls that go into our glycerine soaps. She really enjoys the social aspect of being in the shop and has grown in confidence, learnt new skills and met new people.
Justin Johnson achieved his 200-hour Satire Award, volunteering in the Shetland Garden Co where he is a key member of the team. A typical day can see him doing anything from planting, potting up, rotating seasonal stock by moving plants and trees around the garden, to general cleaning, working in the shop, and, of course, serving customers.
Justin particularly enjoys doing physical jobs, he is always willing to lend a hand to colleagues and customers, and always keen to try new tasks. Through volunteering at the Garden Co Justin feels much more confident and he really enjoys working with all his colleagues.
Ross Jamieson received his 500-hour Saltire Award, volunteering at the Shetland Home Co where he is a key part of the organisation’s recycling efforts.
Ross has an important role within the production team at Shetland Home Co. He breaks up computer monitors that are beyond repair, into individual components which are then sold on as scrap. He also sorts through donations as they come in and he particularly enjoys sorting and making jigsaws to check they are complete, and bagging up screws for resale or reuse.
He is really focused in his volunteer placement and is a valued member of the Home Co team.
Jack Munro also achieved his 200- and 500-hour Saltire Awards at the Shetland Home Co, where he is a very important part of the team. He spends his time dismantling computers and monitors, salvaging all the good bits for recycling, PAT testing, assisting with computer refurbishment, logging donated items on the stock management system and pricing items to go out on the floor to be sold.
Jack is a complete whiz with gaming consoles, computer games and accessories. His knowledge is invaluable when restoring and pricing these items for the shop. Through volunteering Jack has developed new skills. He is valued at COPE and is a really important member of our Team.
Hunter Arthur shines as a volunteer, and he was one of just two recipients of the prestigious Saltire Summit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering!
Hunter’s volunteer placement began within the Shetland Garden Co, before he moved to the Shetland Home Co. He spends his time taking in donations, tidying the yard and production area, disposing of items we cannot reuse or recycle at the dump, breaking up electrical equipment for recycling, sorting items in the furniture storage areas and helping to stock and replenish the shop. He is often out with the van team delivering and collecting furniture and is always willing to carry out any other tasks that may be required.
Hunter is extremely motivated and enthusiastic, as well as being very hard working, with a very strong work ethic. He is committed and reliable, consistently giving 100% no matter the task! He takes immense pride in his work and is always willing to learn new skills.
Hunter says he has made developments in his personal skills during his placements. He is excellent at coming up with new ideas on how to do things better. He is very practical, sociable and a favourite with customers. His happy and cheery personality makes him a pleasure to work with, he always has a smile for everyone and is always ready to go the extra mile to help customers and fellow participants, offering support to others whenever he can.
Visit here to read more about this year’s Saltire Awards and see Voluntary Action Shetland’s full gallery of award winners.
