BT volunteer wins grant for East Lothian good cause
Special mention for Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club
BT has rewarded four community groups in Edinburgh and the Lothians with grants of up to £700 to help them continue their good work.
The grants have been awarded through the company’s employee recognition scheme, the BT People Awards. The scheme recognises and rewards BT’s volunteering heroes, who offer their time and skills to help people in their local communities, by providing grants to organisations in which they are involved.
Edinburgh South Football Club scooped £700 in the BT Sport category, while Bonnyrigg Rose Boys Club in Midlothian picked up a £500 sports voucher and the 9th Ratho Cub Scout Group won a £500 award in the Civic Champion section. The Cockenzie and Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club in East Lothian received a special mention and a £230 award in the Digital Champion category of the awards.
The Amateur Radio Club was nominated by John Innes, a transmission engineer with Openreach, who was inspired to give something back to the club after years of enjoyment as a member. Over the last 20 years, John has run several club activities on a voluntary basis using his skills in electronics, desktop publishing and web design.
Since 1995 he has held a regular radio test night where members can have their radio equipment checked out on professional test gear. He has also developed a very successful club website at www.cpsarc.com, promoting the club and its activities around the world. More than 2500 people download the club’s award-winning newsletter and the site averages 50,000 page views a year.
Musselburgh man John said: “The club, which is now celebrating its 30th year, welcomes people of all ages, ability and technical background and aims to provide an inclusive, supportive environment where they can pursue the hobby. We currently have to store our equipment offsite, and we’re looking for premises in East Lothian where we can keep our equipment and run sessions. In the meantime, the BT award will help with our running costs so we can invest in additional equipment and training.
“The club plays a vital role for amateur radio enthusiasts by delivering mandatory training courses and facilitating the exams needed to obtain a licence. We encourage newcomers to take part in the wide variety of events we run throughout the year.”
In total, twelve groups in Scotland received grants worth nearly £7000 to help them continue their excellent work in the community. A full list is below.
Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “Many of our employees contribute to the life of their communities, in a myriad of ways. The People Awards acknowledge the time and commitment that BT people across Scotland are giving to the local community groups for which they volunteer.”
UK wide, around 450 applications were received and 84 applicants received awards totalling £50,980. Applications were submitted by BT people from all over the world including Peru, India and Belgium. These included a wide range of community organisations from football clubs to police cadets to red squirrel protection, illustrating the wide variety of activities in which BT people are involved.
For more information and to see a complete list of the latest award recipients please visit:www.btpeopleawards.co.uk or see what BT can do to help charities by visiting:www.bt.com/charityportfolio.
ENDS
The Scottish winners are:
- Oldmeldrum Sports & Highland Games, AB51 0ES £500
• Edinburgh South FC, Gilmerton Road, EH16 5UD £700
• Bonnyrigg Rose Boys Club, EH19 3AS £500
• Inverness Skating and Ice Dance Club (Sunday Club), IV9 8RQ £500
• 9th Ratho Cub Scout Group, EH288TT £500
• Balmedie Scout Group, AB23 8WB £700
• 44th Dundee Coy Boys Brigade, DD5 2HQ £500
• Balmedie Leisure Centre, AB23 8YF £700
• Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club, EH32 0EE £230
• St Andrew Michael's Club (SAMs), G32 6QE £700
• Freedom of Flight, PA16 8AL £700
• Kingdom of Fife Group Advanced Motorists, KY2 6JP £700
