Kirkcaldy Samaritans volunteer wins Royal Voluntary Service’s champions award

June Race, who until recently was the director of the Samaritans of Kirkcaldy and District, was one of 70 volunteers selected for the honour.

Thousands of people aged from 16 to 101 from all over the UK and supporting a range of causes were nominated and from these, 490 volunteers were hand-picked by a judging panel presided over by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

Winners received a specially designed pin and a certificate signed by the Duchess, and in addition, the 70 most outstanding volunteers, including June, were invited to celebrate at a special edition of The Big Jubilee Lunch in London on June 5.

As director, June was key to the branch’s continuous, effective operation throughout her tenure, including the coronavirus pandemic.

June said: “I rarely think I deserve anything special so I am working hard to get used to this touching and remarkable show of appreciation.

"I’m not really sure what to say except thank you to those who put my name forward and supported the application.

"It has been a privilege to have been director of the dedicated and hard-working volunteers in the Kirkcaldy branch of Samaritans, some of whom have been volunteering for 20 years and more -something I will never achieve!

"Throughout the pandemic the whole branch has pulled together and continued to provide emotional support for callers in the way that only Samaritans

volunteers can.”