By Rob Gooding, Community Organiser
Rob nominated Jo for the volunteer of the month award in Wickersley Ward in December 2020.
This is a project run by RMBC staff and local councillors Jo is has run the local SEND youth club for children with additional needs for the last two years and was looking to expand this to other areas of Rotherham until Covid struck.
During the first lockdown Jo signed up as a Rotherham Hero and an NHS hero to help people in need all over Rotherham by collecting prescriptions and doing shopping. She has also continued to support the needs of the children and parents in her group by holding regular zoom sessions with them and hosting competitions to help elevate the stress and anxiety caused by the lockdown, when restrictions eased she held a couple of small meet ups for the group in a local park where they had exercise sessions put on by DC Boxing.
Jo and her two children do a weekly litter pick around Flanderwell lane and Flanderwell Avenue and have removed around 40 bags of litter since lock down.
Jo was given the award for the February volunteer of the month in a surprise ceremony on the 23/02/2021 and won a £25 voucher to spend in a local shop as well as a large bunch of flowers, during the ceremony Jo said ‘Thank you so much for the nomination it was so lovely to receive my flowers and voucher for the work in the community that I do, I don’t do it for praise but to make sure my community is heard but it’s a lovely feeling when people appreciate what you do to help people.’
