Mayor’s Zoom surprise for charity boss Nicky
THE CEO of a borough community charity has spoken of her surprise after receiving a certificate of recognition for the work she and her team of volunteers have done throughout lockdown.
Nicky Iginla, CEO of Caring and Sharing, a charity that works to foster inter-community understanding in Rochdale and support and empower groups including asylum seekers and BAME residents, got a surprise last Thursday (August 13) when she received the framed certificate from Billy Sheerin, mayor of Rochdale, in recognition of the organisation’s work supporting those in need during lockdown.
Charity staff and volunteers have assisted neighbours who have struggled with leaving the house to pick up important supplies like food and prescriptions, and helped connect vulnerable clients with support services via their partners including Rochdale Borough Council.
Nicky said: “It was a complete surprise. [The mayor] had asked to have an appointment with me over Zoom to say thank you for all our work. I was on the call with him and there was a knock at the door.
“He said to go and answer it and there was someone with the certificate - and they brought me these beautiful flowers and a bottle of prosecco as well!
“I burst into tears on the Zoom - I was so happy!”
She added that she and her team were ‘very grateful, thankful and humbled’ by the mayor’s gesture of thanks.
Nicky added: “I want to send a big thank you to the mayor and the Rochdale community as a whole. When the mayor presented the certificate to me he said it was from the whole people of Rochdale.
“It’s now in pride of place in my living room. Every time when I walk into the room and see it, it makes me so proud of myself because I know I am doing something for the community.”
Since being designated by the council as a hub for primary mutual aid, Nicky and her team of volunteers have been busy throughout lockdown on behalf of those who have had to shield, and received a grant to shop for those struggling financially during the pandemic.
Whilst many of the inperson activities they organised before lockdown, such as education and training sessions and youth groups, are still unable to resume, Nicky’s team has also participated in the council’s drive to provide face masks to residents across the community.
She said: “The council provided us with face masks and we have been out in the community to give them out - we handed out over 15,000 masks.
“We were working together as a community with everybody out giving masks to people. I was very proud that in Rochdale we are one, working as one.”
Nicky added: “My message to people is, please comply with the government rules that say they should wear a face mask.
“We are not saving ourselves alone, but we are saving lots of other people and those in our families.
“I am pleading with people to please put a mask on, be safe and be a community.”