Marsh Volunteer Awards

Whitworth volunteers scoop award-win at National Volunteers Award ceremony.

We are thrilled that our GROW volunteers named as regional winners at the 2021-22 Volunteer Marsh Awards, held at the British Museum in London, this week.

The awards celebrate the invaluable contribution and important work that volunteers do to help museums engage with visitors across the UK. 
 
Our GROW volunteers are a small but impact-driven team who engage in horticultural activities at the Whitworth to take care of personal mental health and wellbeing.  
 
These volunteers are part of our Natural Cultural Health project, which was created to connect nature and art and supports the idea that being outdoors and with nature can promote positive mental health. 
 
The GROW volunteer team were awarded joint winners in the category North-West Volunteers for Museum Learning award. Alongside the ‘We Were There’ veteran team from the Imperial War Museum in North Manchester. 
 
The British Museum and the Marsh Charitable Trust have been working in partnership for the fourteenth year of the ‘Volunteers for Museum Learning’ award which recognises the importance of volunteers to museums and their visitors. Celebrating the time volunteers have given in the previous year is particularly pertinent as teams and individuals helped their museums and heritage sites recover from the pandemic.

Fiona Cariss, Volunteering and Civic Engagement Manager, the Whitworth said: “The GROW Volunteers are a true inspiration; they have created a welcoming environment whilst also being a positive impact within the community. It is great to have their time and efforts recognised outside of the Whitworth by the Marsh Awards which means the world to them."

Alistair Hudson, Director at the Whitworth said: “The volunteers who work with us in our public park and gardens are a key part of the way the Whitworth works for all people, in practical ways to make sure residents are of healthy mind body and spirit. We are very much a museum created by people and the way they use it. In this sense, our GROW volunteers bring vital knowledge and skills through these projects that connect art and nature to ensure good mental health for residents of the city." 

Muriel Gray, Deputy Chair of the Trustees at the British Museum said: “Museums across the UK are grateful for the contribution of volunteers to ensure they reach and inspire as many people as possible. Volunteers are also an important part of the British Museum community.  The efforts of volunteers up and down the country in 2021 are an inspiration as they gave their time throughout a challenging period, helping museums and heritage sites with their recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. These awards recognise the commitment and enthusiasm of volunteers in museums and we are very grateful to the Marsh Charitable Trust for acknowledging this work.” 

#GetInvolved

Find out more about the Whitworth Volunteer Programme.

The Natural and Cultural Health Service (NCHS) is a programme of outdoor activities that promote good physical and mental wellbeing. From Meditating in Nature, Iyengar Yoga for Wellbeing to Gardening for good health (GROW), at the Whitworth we have something for everyone, every week.

GROW is a project that promotes the benefits of engaging in horticultural activities to improve the mental wellbeing of an individual.