‘CONGRATULATIONS’ said the subject line. Another rubbish email? But no - we were astonished to read that we had been voted Volunteers of the Year by all the other volunteers. What a lovely acknowledgement of the time we spend at Sterts. Thank you everyone.
We both really enjoy being part of the Sterts family & lending a hand wherever we are able. We have made so many friends in our years there. Working front of house, kiosk, prepaid & cafe means that we see members of the audience returning year after year, & regard them as old friends, who are always ready for a chat or a cheery word. Doing what we can to make the public’s visit as comfortable & as enjoyable as possible does give a real sense of achievement. If we can also part many of the audience from their money then that’s even better!
Then there is the bonus of seeing many shows for free, although the icing on the cake is watching new young actors grow in confidence & ability. You can’t beat that.
Sterts must have said some nice things about us because we were shortlisted & invited to go to the Volunteer Awards lunch at the Eden Project. To our amazement we won the Volunteer of the Year award in the Culture section, receiving a certificate & a beautiful engraved glass bowl from the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. This meant that Sterts have appeared at the Awards in that section for three years running – quite an achievement! Now we have the difficult task of choosing a free night’s stay at a hotel of our choice from the charity ‘Room for Awards’ – only 4* or 5* will do!!
Written by Peter and Sue Vernon 2019 winners of Cornwall Cultural Volunteer of the year & the Sterts Volunteers of the Year.