Volunteer of the Year named at Celebration of Achievement 2024

The winners of this year's Celebration of Achievement Awards were unveiled in a glittering ceremony at York Racecourse last week, where the local hospital staff and volunteers were congratulated and praised for their efforts.

This annual event, which is made possible through sponsorship, is a prestigious occasion that honours those who go 'above and beyond' in their approach to their everyday work at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

One of the event’s categories recognises the huge amount of valuable work volunteers contribute to helping the Trust provide great care and services.

This year’s award was presented to a couple whose efforts resulted in the highest amount ever raised by a single event for York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity, making a profound impact for bereaved parents.

Donna Wallis and Matthew Bailey freely gave their time to organise ‘Olivia's Dream Charity Ball’, a remarkable fundraising event which raised over £30,000 for York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity.

This event was deeply personal for them, as their daughter Olivia Tina Bailey sadly died in hospital, and they required compassionate support from the bereavement midwifery team.

In gratitude for the support they received from York Hospital, they aimed to assist other families in similar situations by supporting the Butterfly Appeal, which funded a new maternity bereavement suite.

Their fundraising efforts significantly contributed to the creation of the Butterfly Garden, a private outdoor space adjacent to the suite, offering families a serene area to spend time together. The previous bereavement room, which Donna and Matthew used, was small; now the new suite and garden provide much needed space and privacy. Through relentless dedication and with support from friends and family.  Donna and Matthew sold a remarkable 470 tickets and secured over 100 prize donations from local businesses for the auction and raffles.

Their award was Presented by Rukmal Abeysekera, Lead Governor, who said:

“Despite their challenges, Donna and Matthew remained focused and positive. Their story is very humbling.”

Speaking at the ceremony Donna said: “It is an honour to be invited to share in such a prestigious evening, celebrating some wonderful achievements and fantastic people within the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It’s even more of an honour to have won the fundraiser category, as both other finalists have achieved exceptional things.

“When we founded Olivia’s Dream Charity Ball it was our way of giving back and helping others, whilst giving Olivia a place on the map, we’re extremely proud of her legacy and the changes that have happened in Olivia’s memory as a result of the fundraising.” 

The couple have since welcomed their daughter Gracie and have recently got married.

More than 350 staff members and guests left their everyday NHS uniforms behind to celebrate the night of excellence. Trust directors and governors had the privilege of presenting awards that reflect the extraordinary skills, expertise, and contributions our staff and volunteers deliver daily in service to others. The event is generously fully funded by sponsors, whose sponsorship makes the evening possible.

This year’s headline sponsor was PPL Training, who is one of the UK’s leading Safe Systems of Work and Technical Compliance training course providers, and currently work with more than 100 NHS trusts year on year.  However, their business' roots firmly in York, as a family-run, engineer-led organisation since 2005.

This award, along with the many others given in categories throughout the evening, highlighted the unwavering commitment, courage, and compassion of the Trust’s exceptional hospital staff.