The Dorford Centre was packed for this event, the first to be held since 2019.

For the 10th year, in the true spirit of volunteering, Allen Knott donated his time presiding over the event, helping to celebrate the community contributions and personal achievements of some of Dorset’s volunteers.

Awards were given to nominees across five categories – Community Action Group, Young Volunteers, Employee Volunteering, Teams/Groups and Volunteer of the Year.

In a new category, some of the award winners were nominated for their dedication and contribution throughout the pandemic, and beyond, as community volunteers, or helping at vaccination centres. It was acknowledged that this volunteering played a huge role in helping people during the pandemic and supported the national effort to ‘return to normal’.

There were even young volunteers helping on the evening, including Mia from The Thomas Hardye School who played the piano during the interval.

Marie Waterman, CEO of Volunteer Centre Dorset commented: “We know that we are celebrating only a very small proportion of the great volunteering work that goes on throughout Dorset – we just can’t get a venue large enough to invite the thousands of people who give their time to charities, causes and organisations that are special to them. We hope that organisations that benefit from volunteers’ work are able to recognise, celebrate and thank them in their own way. It is always an emotional event, with people who give selflessly, being thanked and recognised for the difference they make.”

Weymouth Street Pastors commented online ‘Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to everyone who nominated us… We have had a fantastic night at the Dorset Volunteer Award Ceremony. Everyone who was nominated was presented with a certificate and recognised for the volunteer work they do. This was such a privilege for us and we are so thankful and grateful for all the nominations we received’.

And there were even more winners on the night, as a prize draw for each category rewarded a volunteer with a hotel night away, donated from Room to Reward.

Nationally, it is believed that 1 in 4 people volunteer each year. In Dorset, there are literally hundreds of volunteering opportunities available in all different fields of work. There is something to suit everyone’s skills, interests and availability. You don’t need to make a long-term commitment, because some volunteering is for one-off events or ad-hoc tasks. At the moment with the cost-of-living crisis, people might be worried about incurring further costs by volunteering – but it is worth knowing that many organisations actually reimburse expenses, especially for travel.

For more information about volunteering visit www.volunteeringdorset.org.uk