MIDDLESBROUGH’S JAMIE SAMPLE WINS NORTH EAST VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Volunteer worker Jamie Sample has won the North East Volunteer of the Year Award, awarded by the British Museum and the Marsh Christian Trust’s Marsh Volunteers Award in Volunteer Museum Learning.
Jamie, 39 and who lives in Middlesbrough, has been a volunteer at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), part of Teesside University for a number of years and is a valued member of the team at MIMA, based in the town centre.
Jamie helps with a number of MIMA’s projects including welcoming visitors and also supports the Creative Age group, a session for those with living with dementia and their care-givers, friends or supporters. MIMA’s Learning Curator Claire Pounder commented: “We learn more from Jamie than Jamie learns from us, he contributes a huge amount to our work at MIMA.” As well as offering a helping hand with the groups, Jamie produces films about the work he is involved in at MIMA. His film about the Creative Age group’s Art Tile Installation is currently being shown on the first floor at MIMA within the Art in Action display, an exhibition space where artist, partner and community projects are displayed.
Jamie is also a keen performer and has been a member of Streetwise Opera, a performing arts charity, and Jamie has been involved in weekly singing sessions and performances for four years in Middlesbrough.
Commenting on the award, Jamie said: “I’m really pleased and surprised to win this award, it means a lot to me. I first started volunteer work through an organisation called Step Forward Tees Valley. It’s a company that helps people with learning barriers to work. An option of a placement came up and because I liked MIMA, I thought that would be a strength for me, and having qualifications in the arts I thought it would be a good fit.”
Some years later, Jamie is still volunteering at MIMA, long after the initial placement ended: “I even asked for an extension on the placement because I was enjoying it so much. Volunteering is a big part of my life and for me, it’s just giving up a little bit of time to make people happy,” adds Jamie.
