Volunteers who support Nailsea Leg Club have been named as finalists in the Care and Support West Awards.
The awards celebrate the hard work and dedication of care professionals across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, and the team from Nailsea has been shortlisted in the Volunteer of the Year category.
The Leg Club has been running for six years and was set up by Nailsea Family Practice in conjunction with the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation and community nurse providers. Since it was launched, more than 440 registered patients have become Leg Club members.
More: Successful leg club celebrates fifth anniversary.
Leg Clubs provide a social and supportive place for those with lower limb concerns, especially leg ulcers, to receive medical treatment from qualified, local nurses.
The volunteer team supports the clinical team at Nailsea Leg Club by delivering a social dimension to the club by providing activities and refreshments to Leg Club members.
In addition, they offer administrative support to the nursing team, provide transport to Leg Club members who would otherwise have difficulty attending, and run the Nailsea Leg Club management committee.
The volunteer team also regularly fundraises and takes part in a charity walk each year to raise vital funds which contribute to running and maintaining the Leg Club.
In June this year, volunteers raised more than £1,000 for Nailsea Leg Club which will go towards supporting its reopening in September following its temporary closure during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Carole Brooke, chairman of Nailsea Leg Club said: “We are all thrilled to be shortlisted in the Care and Support West Awards. Throughout the pandemic, our team has remained determined to adapt and maintain engagement with our Nailsea Leg Club members, who are already vulnerable to social isolation because of their lower limb conditions.
"To receive recognition for this collective effort when it has been such a difficult year for charities and volunteers everywhere feels incredibly special.”
The 2021 Care and Support West Awards ceremony and dinner to honour the finalists and winners will take place on October 9 Ashton Gate football and rugby stadium.
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