National award for cancer care volunteer
A CANCER care volunteer has been awarded a prestigious national Macmillan award, for her work to guide and inspire others.
Maggie Riordan, from Penygroes in Carmarthenshire, was the worthy winner of the Macmillan Richard Hambro Award, which recognises volunteers across the UK who inspire others.
As the lead volunteer for the Macmillan Carmarthenshire Buddy Service, Maggie guides a group of local volunteers, called buddies, who provide practical and emotional support to people affected by cancer across the area.
While support would usually be provided faceto-face in people’s homes, Maggie has helped volunteers to adapt the service to offer support via telephone, so that people living with cancer will not go without help during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maggie has also been ensuring regular contact with her team of volunteers during lockdown and providing critical moral support.
She said: “I was really pleased to win this award and I hope it will increase awareness of the amazing work our wonderful volunteers do to provide much needed support for people affected by cancer.
“The buddies give so much time and commitment and often go the extra mile for their service users.
“My role as a lead volunteer is made so much easier and enjoyable by the whole team.”
Shirley Chandler, a volunteer buddy within Maggie’s team, said, “During a time when I’ve needed it most, Maggie has provided amazing support – she’s the salt of the earth.
“She even manages to make me laugh when times are tough.
“I’m hugely grateful for her support and the time she’s taken to keep in weekly contact with me. “She’s a true buddy.” Richard Pugh, head of partnerships at Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said: “We’re so proud of Maggie and her team of buddies, and delighted that she has been recognised with this award.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to our volunteers, like Maggie and the buddy volunteers, for their dedication and resilience during these uncertain times.
“Maggie and her team are an example of how we are doing everything we can to support people living with cancer at a time when it matters the most.
“This also comes at a time when we are facing a significant drop in our income and the truth is that we can’t continue to be there for people who need us without the support of the public.
“We’re asking people to give what they can, so that we can continue to provide vital support to people with cancer now and in the future.”
Anyone interested in receiving local telephone support can register for thw service at www.macm i l l a n . o r g . u k / g e tinvolved/campaigns/telephone-buddies