OTLEY & DISTRICT RIDING for the DISABLED GROUP

6 Oct 2008 - Success for Two of our Volunteers

Last year, one of our most reliable volunteer helpers, Bernadette Spellman, joined the Mencap Volunteer Team, delivering training to college students and voluntary organisations, with a particular focus on why people with learning disabilities should get involved in volunteering.

Bernie is now one of only three such volunteers (out of a total of 10,000 nominations), in competiton for MENCAP’s Volunteer of the Year Award.

In her nomination form, Bernie is described as ‘totally reliable’ ‘extremely organised’ and ‘very naturally caring’. In fact, she’s proved so good at the job, she’s been invited to go to Italy in November to spread the word over there as ‘her hard work has changed so many lives.’

We are all very proud of her.

Nikki Francis, one of our instructors, survived this attempted strangulation by a parent. (Nina assures us she was really just trying to tie Nikki's tie when she was helping at a Handy Pony qualifier) and has gone on to pass her BHS Stage II exam.

Nikki now intends to study for the Preliminary Teaching Test so that she can teach able-bodied riders as well as her RDA ones. Nikki is also working towards her RDAI exam which will qualify her to teach any RDA group and, by passing her BHS Stage II, she will now not need to do one section of the RDAI exam.

Congratulations Nikki!