I WOULD like to congratulate all the exceptional volunteers from Worcestershire who were awarded a Year of the Volunteer medal this week.

The chairman of the county council honoured 23 volunteers from the county with a medal for their commitment to the community. The medal is in recognition of the impact that volunteers are making at a local level: helping children with their reading, befriending isolated patients in GP surgeries, combating crime by mentoring with young people at risk of offending and tackling problems with the environment by cleaning up local parks.

I hope these medal winners encourage more volunteers to get involved and make a difference in their community.

Elizabeth Salter

CSV Head of Campaigns

www.yearofthevolunteer.org