Lord Provost's Honour Board - Volunteer Edinburgh

honour board

An Honour Board displayed at the City Chambers lists previous winners of the Lord Provost Award for Inspiring Volunteer of the Year

Lord Provost Award for Inspiring Volunteer of the Year

The Lord Provost Award for Inspiring Volunteer of the Year is a prestigious award that was first introduced in 2008.

Each year since then five to seven volunteers have been shortlisted for their outstanding commitment and loyalty, impact on others, dedication, and the enormous difference they have made. From this shortlist the Rt. Hon. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh chooses the winner.

Pictured: Stephan Tait of Radio Lollipop Edinburgh, the winner of the Inspiring Volunteer of the Year 2025, being presented the award by the Rt. Hon Robert Aldridge, Lord Provost of The City of Edinburgh

Stephan Tait of Radio Lollipop Edinburgh, the winner of the Inspiring Volunteer of the Year 2025, being presented the award by the Rt. Hon Robert Aldridge, Lord Provost of The City of Edinburgh

Organised by Volunteer Edinburgh as part of Volunteers’ Week which is a national celebration of volunteers and volunteering, the annual awards ceremony is hosted by the Lord Provost and City of Edinburgh Council, and the Inspiring Volunteer Awards 2026 ceremony will be held this year on Tuesday 2 June.

The awards celebrate the accomplishments of volunteers, and the major economic and social benefits they provide as a result of their voluntary activities.

Roll of honour

On Tuesday 3 June 2015, the Lord Provost unveiled a new Honour Board he commissioned (pictured below) which lists previous winners of the Lord Provost Award for Inspiring Volunteer of the Year since its inception in 2008 and it is intended to add to it each year as new winners are chosen.

This board is displayed in the City Chambers and the previous winners can be found below. Photos of the unveiling can be found on our Facebook page here.

The honour board at the City Chambers of the winners of the Inspiring Volunteer of the Year award.

Roll of Honour
2008 Joy Peat	Volunteer for RNID and Samaritans
2009 Joan Alexander	Citizen Advocate for ‘Partners In Advocacy’
2010 Liz Bisset	Brownie and Girl Guide, past District Commissioner & Trustee with Girlguiding Edinburgh, Richmond’s Hope & Richmond’s Café Project
2011 Michele Lindsay	Classroom Assistant at Access to Industry
2012 Barbara Johnstone	Organiser for Ravelrig Riding for the Disabled
2013 Alison Drever	Volunteer Adviser, Benefits Specialist for Citizen’s Advice Edinburgh Leith Bureau
2014 Betty Stevenson	Convenor of Edinburgh Tenants Federation
2015 Malik Masood	Chairperson for Scottish Asian Pakistan Foundation / Coordinator for Southside Elderly Club
2016 Shona Black	Campaign and Information Assistant, Guide Dogs Scotland
2017 Lily Cook	Sales Assistant Volunteer, Save the Children Shop, Dalry Road
2018 Malcolm Scullion	Media Volunteer (Development Team), Thistle Foundation
2019 Jason	Peer Support Volunteer, CARDS – Rowan Alba Ltd
2020 The Citizens	City of Edinburgh
2021 Julia Grindley	Chair, Edinburgh School Uniform Bank
2022 Mark Ireland	Volunteer Befriender, CARDS Rowan Alba Ltd
2023 Isaac Taylor	Support for Learning Helper, Currie High School
2024 Heather Wallace	Volunteer CEO, Pain Concern
2025 Stephan Tait	Volunteer (DJ Wh33ls), Radio Lollipop Edinburgh
2026 Frances Clark	Volunteer, CruiseForth

In June 2020, for obvious reasons and to our great disappointment, we were not able to host our annual Inspiring Volunteer Awards. Instead the Inspiring Volunteer of the Year 2020 was awarded to The Citizens in recognition of the enormous contribution volunteers across the city made throughout the pandemic.

Volunteer Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards in partnership with the Office of the Lord Provost and the City of Edinburgh Council.

For more information please contact Jason McCann at Volunteer Edinburgh by calling 07587 034 535 or email events@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

Family Befriender	Adult Supportive Transport Driver	Activity Buddy	Lothians Perinatal Befriender	Volunteer Driver
Are you someone who believes in the power of listening and connection? Join us as a Family Befriender at Home Link Family Support, where your support can make a world of difference to families with young children.	The Supportive Transport Service is a key part of what we offer. It provides transportation to individuals living with or affected by HIV and/or Hepatitis C, helping them meet medical, social care, and daily needs. This might include transport to medical appointments, community activities, or essential errands like grocery shopping. Many Service Users face barriers to traveling independently due to factors such as limited mobility, social anxiety, or financial constraints. In addition to transportation, our drivers often provide a supportive presence by listening or helping individuals reflect on information shared during appointments.	The role of the Activity Buddy is to provide practical support and reduce isolation. The people we work with can find it hard to attend appointments and leisure activities due to poor physical/mental health, limited mobility, social anxiety or literacy issues. When illness, mobility, or side-effects of medication make housework or going out difficult, we offer support to make the home environment more comfortable. Volunteers play a vital part in improving service users’ physical health, mental well-being and quality of life through supportive relationships, community connection, creating pathways for personal growth and collaborative goal setting.	Parents of babies who have received care in hospital from the neonatal team can experience perinatal mental health issues and feelings of isolation.A befriender can provide emotional support to help build positive relationships between parents and their baby and improve parents’ mental health. Accessing activities in the community, going for a walk, or talking over a cuppa are some of the ways in which a Befriender can make a real difference for parents and their babies.	The Open Door Edinburgh provides support to older people, those living with dementia, poor health or mobility and those who care for them.To provide safe transport for vulnerable older people, as part of the day services staff team and drive The Open Door’s vehicle as required.
https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/online-support-pre-school-children-and-families-15161/	https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/supportive-driver-volunteer-1/	https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/home-support-service-1/	https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/lothians-perinatal-befriender-16432/	https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/volunteer-electric-vehicle-driver-17663/

Family Befriender

Adult Supportive Transport Driver

Activity Buddy

Lothians Perinatal Befriender

Volunteer Driver

Are you someone who believes in the power of listening and connection? Join us as a Family Befriender at Home Link Family Support, where your support can make a world of difference to families with young children.

The Supportive Transport Service is a key part of what we offer. It provides transportation to individuals living with or affected by HIV and/or Hepatitis C, helping them meet medical, social care, and daily needs. This might include transport to medical appointments, community activities, or essential errands like grocery shopping. Many Service Users face barriers to traveling independently due to factors such as limited mobility, social anxiety, or financial constraints. In addition to transportation, our drivers often provide a supportive presence by listening or helping individuals reflect on information shared during appointments.

The role of the Activity Buddy is to provide practical support and reduce isolation. The people we work with can find it hard to attend appointments and leisure activities due to poor physical/mental health, limited mobility, social anxiety or literacy issues. When illness, mobility, or side-effects of medication make housework or going out difficult, we offer support to make the home environment more comfortable. Volunteers play a vital part in improving service users’ physical health, mental well-being and quality of life through supportive relationships, community connection, creating pathways for personal growth and collaborative goal setting.

Parents of babies who have received care in hospital from the neonatal team can experience perinatal mental health issues and feelings of isolation.A befriender can provide emotional support to help build positive relationships between parents and their baby and improve parents’ mental health. Accessing activities in the community, going for a walk, or talking over a cuppa are some of the ways in which a Befriender can make a real difference for parents and their babies.

The Open Door Edinburgh provides support to older people, those living with dementia, poor health or mobility and those who care for them.To provide safe transport for vulnerable older people, as part of the day services staff team and drive The Open Door’s vehicle as required.

https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/online-support-pre-school-children-and-families-15161/

https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/supportive-driver-volunteer-1/

https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/home-support-service-1/

https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/lothians-perinatal-befriender-16432/

https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/volunteer/find-opportunities/volunteer-electric-vehicle-driver-17663/

Entries
Link to Single Entry	Name	Summary
	Andrew Jackson	Experienced hands-on farm and land work volunteer, plus Google Ads tracking, data analysis and website management. Just moved to Edinburgh from the US!
	Mojtaba (Moji) SedaghatKerdar	Web designer and SEO specialist in Musselburgh. Website builds, updates, local search and social media. WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and other platforms.
	Lauren Gilmour	Jill of all trades former journalist with experience across PR, communications, marketing, social media, photography and volunteer recruitment.
	Alastair Dunn	Able to help with outdoor or indoor tidying and clearance on an occasional basis (as not always in Edinburgh).
	Stewart Dee	Experienced Civil Service Manager looking to use my management and governance experience as a Board Trustee.
	Declan Chambers	IT professional offering tech, data and Infrastructure support, plus teaching and creative skills. Available Mon-Sun, 10am-8pm.
	Sam Clark	Experienced administrative professional offering organisational, data and records management support to charities needing reliable, detail focused help.
	Alastair Logan	Self taught Python and AI developer offering NLP, data, cloud and automation skills to help charities solve problems and work more efficiently.
	Stephanie Alcazar	Available Tuesdays–Wednesdays to support with social media management and training, as well as deliver illustration workshops.
	Jake Whittet	Edinburgh Microsoft 365 security specialist offering free cyber security assessments. Plain English reports, no jargon.
	Samantha Towers	Hello, I'm an experienced joiner, plasterer and painter.
	Thomas Quiroga	Helping charities use AI and low-cost technology to automate admin, improve processes, save time and focus more on supporting their communities.
	Scott Croucher	I’m an experienced chef with over 4 years experience.
	Joshua Stokes	Experienced professional in Data Protection, Records Management and all things considered Information Governance.
	Douglas McEachan	Well-travelled retiree can offer friendly and informal scenic travel slide shows.
	Sophie Jones	Karate coach with 10 years of experience and looking to inspire other people to become karateka (karate kids).
	Declan Gates	French Tutoring
	Valerii Kostikov	Experienced gynaecologist-oncologist (18+ years). Kind, reliable, compassionate and patient-focused. Keen to support people and gain UK healthcare experience.
	Sarah Cleary	Do you have a regular need for someone to sort jigsaw puzzles, bits and bobs (for example sewing beads) that need tidied or organised and sorted by size?
	Dr Donald Glass	Retired University Lecturer offering volunteering time to support visitor experiences at one of Edinburgh's museums.
	ABDUALSME	Experienced barber- qualified for three years.
	BILL KEIL	anything considered
	IAN JACKSON	Team of 10 people available for one day volunteering opportunity. Flexible on what this would entail.
	Izunna Agupusi	I am an Embedded AI Engineer with Raygonal Ltd, Edinburgh, holding an MSc in Artificial Intelligence. I specialise in embedded systems, early career in IT
	Laura McGlennon	As a qualified Yoga & MeditationTeacher I can offer classes teaching children, teenagers and adults. Available Monday to Friday mornings and afternoon
	Rapinder	Pianist, classically trained to above average level.
	Aoife	Passionate volunteer supporting community projects through event help, outreach, and content creation to promote inclusion and positive change.
	Nicole Carter	Qualified Nutrition Adviser who specialises in Eating Well For Good Mental Health free sessions.
	Reuben Nishan Christmas	An engineering degree holder offering to help with STEM tutoring. Also, looking to help out in any capacity related to food/cooking/baking.
	ola amroush	I recently graduated with a degree in Business Management from Edinburgh Napier University. I’ve found it challenging to secure a role in my field
Link to Single Entry	Name	Summary

Link to Single Entry

Name

Summary

Andrew Jackson

Experienced hands-on farm and land work volunteer, plus Google Ads tracking, data analysis and website management. Just moved to Edinburgh from the US!

Mojtaba (Moji) SedaghatKerdar

Web designer and SEO specialist in Musselburgh. Website builds, updates, local search and social media. WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and other platforms.

Lauren Gilmour

Jill of all trades former journalist with experience across PR, communications, marketing, social media, photography and volunteer recruitment.

Alastair Dunn

Able to help with outdoor or indoor tidying and clearance on an occasional basis (as not always in Edinburgh).

Stewart Dee

Experienced Civil Service Manager looking to use my management and governance experience as a Board Trustee.

Declan Chambers

IT professional offering tech, data and Infrastructure support, plus teaching and creative skills. Available Mon-Sun, 10am-8pm.

Sam Clark

Experienced administrative professional offering organisational, data and records management support to charities needing reliable, detail focused help.

Alastair Logan

Self taught Python and AI developer offering NLP, data, cloud and automation skills to help charities solve problems and work more efficiently.

Stephanie Alcazar

Available Tuesdays–Wednesdays to support with social media management and training, as well as deliver illustration workshops.

Jake Whittet

Edinburgh Microsoft 365 security specialist offering free cyber security assessments. Plain English reports, no jargon.

Samantha Towers

Hello, I'm an experienced joiner, plasterer and painter.

Thomas Quiroga

Helping charities use AI and low-cost technology to automate admin, improve processes, save time and focus more on supporting their communities.

Scott Croucher

I’m an experienced chef with over 4 years experience.

Joshua Stokes

Experienced professional in Data Protection, Records Management and all things considered Information Governance.

Douglas McEachan

Well-travelled retiree can offer friendly and informal scenic travel slide shows.

Sophie Jones

Karate coach with 10 years of experience and looking to inspire other people to become karateka (karate kids).

Declan Gates

French Tutoring

Valerii Kostikov

Experienced gynaecologist-oncologist (18+ years). Kind, reliable, compassionate and patient-focused. Keen to support people and gain UK healthcare experience.

Sarah Cleary

Do you have a regular need for someone to sort jigsaw puzzles, bits and bobs (for example sewing beads) that need tidied or organised and sorted by size?

Dr Donald Glass

Retired University Lecturer offering volunteering time to support visitor experiences at one of Edinburgh's museums.

ABDUALSME

Experienced barber- qualified for three years.

BILL KEIL

anything considered

IAN JACKSON

Team of 10 people available for one day volunteering opportunity. Flexible on what this would entail.

Izunna Agupusi

I am an Embedded AI Engineer with Raygonal Ltd, Edinburgh, holding an MSc in Artificial Intelligence. I specialise in embedded systems, early career in IT

Laura McGlennon

As a qualified Yoga & MeditationTeacher I can offer classes teaching children, teenagers and adults.
Available Monday to Friday mornings and afternoon

Rapinder

Pianist, classically trained to above average level.

Aoife

Passionate volunteer supporting community projects through event help, outreach, and content creation to promote inclusion and positive change.

Nicole Carter

Qualified Nutrition Adviser who specialises in Eating Well For Good Mental Health free sessions.

Reuben Nishan Christmas

An engineering degree holder offering to help with STEM tutoring.
Also, looking to help out in any capacity related to food/cooking/baking.

ola amroush

I recently graduated with a degree in Business Management from Edinburgh Napier University. I’ve found it challenging to secure a role in my field

Link to Single Entry

Name

Summary

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
9.30 to 13.00	9.30 to 13.00	9.30 to 13.00	9.30 to 13.00	9.30 to 13.00
closed 13.00 to 14.00
14.00 to 17.00	14.00 to 17.00	14.00 to 17.00	14.00 to 17.00	14.00 to 16.00

honour board

Lord Provost Award for Inspiring Volunteer of the Year

Roll of honour

Volunteer Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards in partnership with the Office of the Lord Provost and the City of Edinburgh Council.

For more information please contact Jason McCann at Volunteer Edinburgh by calling 07587 034 535 or email events@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

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honour board

Lord Provost Award for Inspiring Volunteer of the Year

Roll of honour

Volunteer Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards in partnership with the Office of the Lord Provost and the City of Edinburgh Council.

For more information please contact Jason McCann at Volunteer Edinburgh by calling 07587 034 535 or email events@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

Data protection: We'll only send you newsletters you sign up for and won't pass your details onto any third parties. If you would like to find out more about how we keep your information safe please refer to our privacy notice.

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Language Barriers?

We’ll only contact you about volunteering and we won’t pass your information to any third parties without your consent. You can read more about how we look after your information here.

If you have any questions about this widget dashboard, please contact us by email here. © 2026 Volunteer Edinburgh, all rights reserved. Volunteer Edinburgh is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in Scotland No. SC202631. Registered Scottish Charity No. SC029681.

Data protection: We'll only send you newsletters you sign up for and won't pass your details onto any third parties.
If you would like to find out more about how we keep your information safe please refer to our privacy notice.