11 Mar A Legacy of Caring

Over the last few weeks, we have been celebrating all things volunteering, shining the spotlight on winners of our Community Champion Awards.

It is now more than two months since the awards took place in Bay Church in Paignton in front of an audience of more than 140 people, and yet the applause is still ringing in my ears.

We have tried to keep the party atmosphere going both in these articles and on the weekly Community Champions Show on Torbay Radio, which airs most Tuesday mornings between 9 – 11 am (on 107.9 FM, online, and via your smart speaker).

There are still several award-winning guests to feature on the show, but we have already had chats with the Overall Community Champion, Tanny Stobart, Lifetime Achiever, Major Ron Goodwin and Volunteer of the Year, Paul Duchemin and what I have loved about all of them is their modesty – they genuinely wonder what all the fuss is about.

As with so many volunteers across the Bay, our community champions do what they do because it comes naturally and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They step up to the challenge and keep on stepping up, rarely pausing to wonder how invaluable their skills and efforts are to so many organisations in the Bay.

On Tuesday, March 24^th, I am looking forward to chatting with Mike Langman from Clennon Lakes, and others will follow over the next few months. As always, if you want to suggest someone to come on the show to talk about volunteering or an organisation that thrives as a result of volunteers’ efforts, drop me a line at [email protected].

In the meantime, I want to finish this series about the Community Champion Awards for 2025, with a focus on the Kevin Helmore Carer of the Year Award that was once again sponsored by Steve Darling MP.

Kevin Helmore, who won the Carer of the Year award for 2024. The Carer of the Year award has since been redubbed the “Kevin Helmore Carer of the Year Award” posthumously in his honour.

We decided to call the award after the 2024 winner, who sadly died in October last year, aged 70. He dedicated decades of his life to caring and to championing others in the caring community.

Kevin was a full-time, unpaid carer who wanted to help get the voice of the Learning Disabled community heard in Torbay, as well as help to improve things for the people who are Learning Disabled.

He helped along with other unpaid Carers with The Big Plan and sat as the Carers Rep on The Learning Disability Partnership Board, sits on the committee of Torbay Mencap and represented them on various forums, sat on the trust’s Treat Me Well group and was for many years a volunteer for Healthwatch. He fitted all that around his role of caring for his two severely learning disabled adult sons, one of whom had a stroke, and both still live at home.

It was therefore appropriate that this year the award went to another carer who also champions others, Ali Meadows.

Her nominator said of Ali: “She gives unpaid carers a voice, speaking up for those who support their family members or friends in a range of settings. Despite the fact that she has a son with learning disabilities and a husband with physical needs, she gives up a lot of her free time to support and to speak up for other unpaid carers.

Ali Meadows, winner of the Kevin Helmore Carer of the Year award for 2025, presented by sponsor Steve Darling, MP

“She represents Carers on the Board of Governors of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, meaning that they hear how things are for real people who care for their family or friends.  She, along with another carer, also spoke to the Care Quality Commission during their inspection of Adult Social Care, telling them how it felt to be on the receiving end of Carers Services.

“Ali is a great asset to the community of people who care for a family member with a learning disability. She strives to improve their situation by giving her time and ensuring their viewpoint is heard by the people who manage the services that affect them.”

We will shortly start planning the Community Champion Awards for 2026, when we hope to again attract more than 150 well-deserved nominations, and we know that judging will be as difficult as ever.

We continue to receive a steady stream of enquiries about volunteering opportunities via the VolunteerTorbay.com website. Drop us a line today, and we will find something just for you.

Alternatively, visit Torbay Together, and check out the latest opportunities from charities and groups around the Bay.