Hayden – young Volunteer of the year

Hayden with his Young Volunteer of the Year certificate. AnkAle denoVAn

Hayden

– young Volunteer of the year

we were delighted earlier this year when one of our volunteers, Hayden McGuckin, was named young Volunteer of the year in the 2022 falkirk Volunteer Awards organised by CVS falkirk.

15 year old Hayden was one of seven pupils from St Mungo’s High School who attended regular outdoor sessions run by tCV at several locations including Calendar Park in falkirk and the Jupiter urban wildlife Centre in Grangemouth. the Jupiter Centre was also the base of a summer growing programme for the young people and their families.

Hayden was nominated for the volunteer award by Emma Griffith, tCV Senior Project officer, and Ankale Denovan, his Cld teacher at St mungo’s. emma said:

“Hayden has been an incredible worker throughout his time with us and we have seen a massive positive change in his behaviour, knowledge and skills. He has been doing a range of activities such as pruning hedges, litter picking, cutting back brambles and trees, putting up bird boxes (pictured on next page), weeding, sowing and growing vegetables, path maintenance, plus plant and wildlife identification. Hayden now knows a number of plant names and will often ask what a plant or bug is. His observations and hard work prove he is a fantastic young volunteer and if given good instruction and attention, he would be a brilliant gardener, landscaper, builder or groundsman. As a volunteer he has proven time and again that he can put in the work and actually enjoys it, especially if he is outside. It is great to see how proud he is of his work as he has brought many of his friends and family to the site to show them all the work he has done.

Through his volunteering, Hayden has learnt how to respect those leading a group, how to respect tools, how to work well with others, and that he actually loves to graft. He learned how to use tools safely and how important safety is on a work site, and why PPE

Hayden with his mum Bernadette (right) and TCV’s Emma Griffith. lynSey HAnSford Hayden putting up bird box. emmA GriffitH is important to keep everyone safe. Getting him to volunteer and work outside has really changed his attitude to work. It took time but once he trusted us and actually got to work, he quickly realised that he enjoys the outdoor work and in a short time can completely transform the world around him for the better.”

Hayden received his Award certificate in early September from Lynsey Hansford, interim Partnership manager of CVS falkirk. And, in addition to his volunteering award, Hayden and the other St mungo’s pupils all successfully gained their Bronze duke of edinburgh’s Award, which emma describes as “a great achievement for them all.” Hayden is currently attending a six month Sports Course at forth Valley College to gain extra qualifications, after which he hopes to become an apprentice in an outdoor setting.

Hayden (bottom right) working with his family, another pupil from St Mungo’s and TCV’s Emma at the Jupiter Centre. AnkAle denoVAn