Peterborough community hero wins national volunteering award

A woman from Peterborough has been recognised at a prestigious national awards ceremony for her commitment to volunteering

Denise Speakman BEM collected her Merit Award at the annual Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) Awards ceremony in London on Friday, March 1.

CSSC is a leading organisation for promoting sports, health, and well-being within the UK Civil Service and public sector.

The accolade reflects the highly meritorious service a volunteer has delivered over a sustained period of time, and rewards the significant impact their efforts have had in one or more areas.

A delighted Denise told the Peterborough Telegraph that her involvement with the CSSC Peterborough community has been a “consistently rewarding experience.”

“CSSC provides so much help across all areas of life, and the community we’ve built locally is the icing on the cake,” she said.

Denise has been a committee member, events organiser and area secretary for Peterborough Area Association during her 20 years volunteering with CSSC.

She is currently eastern regional secretary, eastern regional ED&I (equality, diversity and inclusion) Champion and area chair for Peterborough area association.

“It’s a privilege to be able to support my fellow members in this way, and I look forward to continuing my role in the coming years,” she added.

The awards are now in their 46th year.

CSSC’s chief executive, Matt Bazeley OBE, offered “huge congratulations” to all of the winners and finalists “whose commitment to their communities has been recognised at this year’s awards.“

“For over 100 years we’ve supported the health and wellbeing of life’s true champions in the civil service and public sector,” he said.

“Organising and running a whole host of different and varied activities and events for members is essential to our mission and we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the amazing group of people giving up their time across the country.”

Denise firmly believes that volunteering with the CSSC is a hugely beneficial experience for anyone:

“I’d encourage anyone who is able to sign up for membership,” she said.