Local volunteer mentoring programme wins National Mentoring Award

Health and Social Care

Volunteering Matters’ Grandmentors programme, established in September 2018 in Milton Keynes, has won a prestigious national award recognising its transformational work mentoring young care leavers.

The Grandmentors programme received the honour in the Third Sector category at the recent National Mentoring Awards, attended by over 300 of the UK’s top mentors and mentoring organisations alongside business leaders, government officials and CEOs

Grandmentors are volunteer mentors, aged over 50, who use their skills, experience and networks to provide bespoke mentoring for young people leaving care during their transition into adulthood and independence. No special skills or qualifications are needed for this voluntary role, just life experiences as well as a willingness to support someone who is need of a bit of help for two hours a week.

This life-changing volunteer programme is running in eight areas across the UK, and is supported in Milton Keynes by the Buckinghamshire Provincial Grand Lodge of Freemasons.

Kelly Israel, who manages the programme in Milton Keynes for the national charity Volunteering Matters, said: “This award is an extremely proud moment for everyone involved in Grandmentors. It shows that when care leavers are provided with holistic one on one support from a dedicated volunteer Grandmentor they can reach their full potential.”

To find out more about Grandmentors Milton Keynes, please contact:

KELLY.ISRAEL@VOLUNTEERINGMATTERS.ORG.UK 07936 811892 @kelsrael