Back in June saw Tammie Brown win the Kathryn MacKenzie Make a Difference Award at our 2018 Volunteer Awards. Tammie , a Link Up volunteer was deemed a credible winner for her five years contribution to various Link Up projects, overcoming personal struggles and giving up more of her free time to become involved in Dial Op.

Tammie’s volunteer journey began through gaining training and qualifications in food hygiene and first aid, to enable her to assist at Link Up Whitfield’s lunch club and prepare food for Discoverin Families. Following this, her enjoyable experience led to her being asked to run new weight management group Healthy Me, where she took on the personal responsibilities of running exercise classes and promotion.

According to her nominator Gill Bain, her volunteer work for Link Up did not stop there as she also lent her leadership skills to the The Lunch Brunch community cafe project in Fintry. This project also saw her involved in planning, promotion and conducting group activities such as making shopping lists and cooking. Finally, Tammie expanded into other volunteering opportunities by becoming involved in assisting with morning calls for Dial Op.

What made Tammie Brown an admirable winner was her ability to go above and beyond. For instance, she dedicates nearly every weekday to a personal volunteering activity; Mondays involve her Healthy Me group, she allocates Tuesday to The Munch Brunch, on Wednesdays she helps with Dial Op calls, on a Thursday she leads another Healthy Me session and has even been approached by Addaction for volunteering on a Friday.

Tammie also extends her volunteering duties by being attentive to others. For instance, her nominator highlights incidences where Tammie had checked up on an absentee member of one of the Link Up groups, and using her personal knowledge to provide healthy living materials to a Dial Op morning caller when she heard she required advice. Tammie’s volunteering has not only been an asset to Link Up, but also herself, improving personal confidence. She assures “My self confidence has really improved. My self esteem too. I have a much better view of myself and what I am able to do.”

Rachel – Media Volunteer at Volunteer Dundee.