BCT volunteer, Paul Willows has been short listed for the 2012 Catalyst Awards in the Youth Volunteer section. Although on the autisitic spectrum he has been volunteering in the Synthonia Club kitchen for over a year now and has come on leaps and bounds since he first started helping out in the organisation. Paul has made tremendous progress and is a valued member of the team; his confidence has grown in the kitchen, in his personal life and twice this month someone has mistaken him for a new chef.
Paul says “I love working with BCT, the people are really friendly and helpful and they’ve helped me feel better about myself because I’m more confident, I’ve learned new recipes and how to cook meals I’ve never cooked before. I’m more independent and I’m a lot happier now. Being nominated was a surprise but it’s made me really proud to be part of BCT and I want to keep volunteering for BCT”
There is further good news for the company as BCT Aspire has been shortlisted for the Most Enterprising Third Sector Award. BCT has been helping out the Billingham community with fundraisers, and most recently, along with Billingham Town Council, the re-opening of ‘Fred and Molly’s Cafe’ in John Whitehead Park on July which has been attracting customers left, right and centre with its range of affordable food and drinks.
The award ceremony will be taking place on September 12th, so, fingers crossed for BCT and a big good luck to Paul Willows.
