| Josh Hill was named ‘Young volunteer of the year’ at the awards ceremony last night. Although he has only volunteered for a year, Josh has truly made a mark by pioneering a project to recruit young volunteers across Merseyside as well as being a Red Cross first aid volunteer and trainer.
Josh was able to recruit other volunteers by setting up a retail roadshow at Liverpool University and also developed a scheme to increase trendy donations by distributing red sacks to students.
Sue Ratcliff, Area retail manager for Merseyside, said: “Josh is an inspiration to all young volunteers as his effort, dedication and commitment to the Red Cross is exceptional.”
Best shop team
The group of 41 volunteers who run the Red Cross charity shop in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, was crowned ‘Shop team of the year’. The team has more than doubled the number of volunteers at the shop in the past year and greatly increased the number of young volunteers. Ellon was one of the most profitable Red Cross shops in the UK in 2007 making a profit of £78,395, a staggering 83 per cent of income. The 2007 profit was an increase of £24,853 on previous year, a credit to the team’s hard work and enthusiasm.
Christopher Parkes, assistant shop manager: “Customers get good value and good service from us. We’re very fortunate that we get a good quality of donated stock. We try to make sure our prices are competitive and very good value for money.
“This award is recognition for the entire team for all their hard work and the time the volunteers give the Red Cross. It’s fantastic. No volunteer comes in here looking to be rewarded but to have your efforts recognised on this scale is a remarkable achievement. I’m very proud of the entire team.”
The shop in Ellon is open Monday through Saturday from 9am-4pm.
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Read about last year’s winning shop team | 
