Stoke Mandeville vaccine volunteer receives award

​​​​​​​A social worker assistant has been recognised nationally for her outstanding efforts in the battle against COVID-19.

Teresa Howard-Birt has been awarded a silver medal in both the Essential Workers of Britain and NHS Volunteers categories of the Heroes of 2020 awards.

Teresa was nominated by Christine Green, a retired nurse from Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, for the work she has done as a volunteer on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.

Teresa, who has been supporting vulnerable adults as a social worker assistant for seven years, volunteered at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and the Guttman vaccination centre.

She said: "When I first heard I had been nominated I felt very proud but there are so many people out there doing more than me. I wouldn't call myself a 'hero' – I just felt lucky to be able to help and give something back to the community."

Teresa added: "My family and friends are delighted that I have been given this award and said I should be proud. I know my late father would also be proud. My children want me to frame the award and put it on the wall. They say that I will always be their hero. It's been a bit of buzz for them and we will be celebrating once we can all get together again."

Teresa's efforts during the pandemic began back in the first lockdown when she sewed scrubs, headbands and scrub bags for local NHS staff. She also got involved in delivering prescriptions to those who were shielding, baked rainbow cookies for care homes and even painted pebbles with motivational words and designs, dotting them around Aylesbury to give a boost to those who saw them when out and about.

Teresa said she was keen to do what she could to support others during this difficult time.

She added: "A coping strategy for myself was just taking five minutes out of my working day to send a positive email to colleagues and text messages to family and friends and carrying out random acts of kindness. I strongly believe that acts of kindness can make the world a better place and even more so in the current pandemic.

"Each and every one of us can make a positive difference by tapping into our strengths and sharing them with each other. The last 12 months have been tough but I will continue to do my bit to help the nation get back on its feet."

If you would like to get more involved with your local community and volunteer like Teresa please contact the Volunteer Matching Service at Community Impact Bucks https://communityimpactbucks.org.uk/buckinghamshire-volunteer-matching-service/