THE Warrington Disability Partnership held its inaugural Volunteer Recognition Awards on Tuesday at the Centre For Independent Living, Beaufort Street.

The event was aimed at both celebrating '2005: Year of the Volunteer' and rewarding volunteers for the amount of valuable time they have given to the WDP, the Warrington Guardian's Charity of the Year.

The Mayor of Warrington was in attendance to present the volunteers with the Mark Rushton Volunteer Recognition Award Certificate, which commemorates and recognises the contributions of a volunteer who recently died.

WDP chairman, Dave Thompson MBE, gave a speech on the importance of the charity's work, which enables people with disabilities to come to terms with their situation, provides information on the help

and services available to them and offers a means by which they can empower themselves.

He said: "Without volunteering I wouldn't be here today.

"It gave me a reason to get out of bed, to focus on doing something with my life."

The WDP currently has 30 salaried staff and 70 regular volunteers, not to mention some 150 additional volunteers.

Jayne Horton, assistant services manager, illustrated the importance of these people giving up their time to help.

She said: "The voluntary work of these people amounts to approximately 15,000 hours volunteering.

"If we were to pay these volunteers at the national minimum wage, we would be looking at a cost of £72,750."

The event saw the launch of a scheme to give volunteers £10 in gift vouchers for every 100 hours they contribute.

The WDP is looking for sponsorship from local businesses to help with this project.

To support this cause contact Brunhilde Corbishley, business development manager, on 638867.

If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the work of the WDP, contact Jayne Horton on 240852.

THE Warrington Guardian is supporting the Warrington Disability Partnership's fund raising initiatives to help provide a new caravan holiday home in Pensarn, North Wales. The cost of equipping the caravan so that it is fully accessible and tailored to meet the needs of disabled holidaymakers is estimated at £35,000.