Sands Volunteer Awards for 2024 are now open!
Sands volunteers make impact every day. They provide peer support, organise community remembrance events, speak at training events, strengthen links with hospitals, manage Sands United teams, knit blankets for memory boxes, support at fundraising events and much more.
Sands Volunteer Awards are one opportunity to recognise some of these incredible volunteers and we're encouraging you to nominate a volunteer (or volunteers) who have had an impact on you.
How it works
Nominating a volunteer for an award is easy. Take a look through the categories you can nominate within, read our 5 top tips for making a nomination and then fill in the nomination form at the bottom of this page.
Nominations close on Sunday 14th April and will be shortlisted by a panel of Sands volunteers and staff. Winners will be invited to join us at the National Memorial Arboretum for Sands Garden Day on Saturday 22nd June for a day of remembrance and celebration of the Sands community.
Nomination categories
Dedication
Has this individual gone above and beyond to support bereaved families, or health professionals? Have they put in extra time or shown a high level of commitment?
Inclusion
Has this individual taken extra steps to ensure Sands is a welcoming place, or actively reached out to communities we sometimes struggle to reach, of different ethnicities, faiths, sexual orientation, economic status, ability, or gender?
Awareness
Has this individual been a champion for Sands in your community? Have they increased awareness of pregnancy and baby loss?
Leadership
Has this individual supported other volunteers or helped to structure and drive forward the work of a local team?
Support
Has this individual made a difference to you through the support they offered? Have you seen them consistently give high quality support to the families who access your group?
Innovation
Has this individual put new ideas into action to make a difference for bereaved families or health professionals, or to spread the word about Sands? Has their work helped you reach new audiences, or engage with more people?
Partnership
Has this individual made connections with relevant local organisations or businesses, to drive forward the work of Sands? Are they the expert you go to when you need to signpost someone for additional support?
Sustainability
Has this individual led projects that have taken care to minimise environmental impact, and incorporate legacy planning? Are they an advocate for recycling and minimising waste?
Pinnacle
Is this individual someone who deserves recognition for their overall contribution - perhaps for long service, or for always being there when they are needed?
Five top tips for making your nomination
- Your nomination needs to tell us enough detail so we can understand what makes this person so great at that they do. We recommend between 200-300 words for your nomination so the panel can see straight away why this person has been nominated.
- If it’s simpler, you can provide information in a bulleted list, but please write in full sentences as much as possible.
- Look carefully at the categories of nominations and try to relate your nomination to the category – you can nominate the same person for more than one category if you wish to.
- It may be easier to draft your nomination in a document (like Microsoft Word) first and copy and paste it into the nomination form. That way you can save your nomination as you go, so nothing is lost if the web page were to crash.
- Does anyone else know the person you are nominating? Ask them to submit a nomination too. Having examples from different perspectives will help the nomination.