19 June 2019

Volunteer of the year nominations now open

Without volunteers at the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, we simply would not be able to do what we do.

They are the heartbeat of our trips. Whether it is a supportive word or an empathetic ear, our volunteers are heroes helping young people take life-changing steps.

[caption id="attachment_13711" align="alignright" width="360"] Rosa Coker-Burnett, left, was presented the Luke Gilbert Volunteer of the Year Award for the 2018 season[/caption]

Often, they are adults who have been on Trust trips when they were younger. Their presence is inspirational, giving young people a chance to meet people at different stages of recovery.

Our volunteers keep trips safe and fun, all the while ready at a moment’s notice to support the young people they are with.

This is your chance to give back to those who devote their time to the Trust by nominating them for our Luke Gilbert Volunteer of the Year Award!

We were delighted with the response last year and were over the moon to receive our most ever nominations to date.

Rosa Coker-Burnett was presented with the Luke Gilbert Volunteer of the Year Award for our 2018 season. Just some of the kind testimonies we received about her include:

"She's always concerned with making sure the young people are enjoying themselves and are well looked after, even when she has her own health issues to think about at times."

"Rosa shows compassion & interacts well with everyone & always goes the ‘extra mile’ giving any extra care & support."

"Always taking part, happy to show her scars and lead by example as a cancer warrior. She is an inspiration to the young people who surround her."

We even received a message from a member of the public praising Rosa after seeing how attentive she was while travelling with young people.

Nominations usually open in the winter once all of our Trips are done for the year. But, this time, they will be open all through the 2019 season, making it easier than ever before to celebrate that volunteer who made your trip special.

It can be difficult remembering names and stand out moments when your trip was months ago, and it would be a shame for a standout volunteer to miss out on the recognition they deserve – which is why we are changing it so you can send your nomination as soon as your trip is over!

A link to the nomination form will also be included in the email containing all the photos from your trip.

To be eligible, the nominee will have volunteered on a trip or at an event in 2019 and must not be a skipper or a paid member of the Trust team.

So, who made a difference or went above and beyond as a volunteer this year?


Fill in the form below or email [email protected]  to nominate

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Nominations close 15th February 2020.

Who is Luke Gilbert?

The Luke Gilbert Volunteer of the Year Award was introduced three years ago in celebration of the Trust’s legendary volunteer, who sadly passed away in August 2016.

[caption id="attachment_6062" align="alignright" width="225"] Luke Gilbert[/caption]

Luke’s incredible personality, sense of humour, enthusiasm, compassion and a huge amount of fun made him an amazing volunteer and an inspiration to everyone he met. The 2019 award winner will have demonstrated all the qualities that Luke embodied, following in the footsteps of past winners Paul Gavin (2017), Rosie McIntyre (2018) and Rosa Coker-Burnett (2019)

The nominations will be judged by an independent panel that includes Luke’s Mum Julie, Fiancé Angie, Sue Morgan MBE, Dave Hobin (Trustee and paediatric oncology consultant), Sue Morgan MBE, Frank Fletcher (Trust CEO), Kerry McMillan (Operations Manager, North) and Laura Davis (Operations Manager, South)

The winner will be announced at the EMCTrust Volunteer Training Day.