London Volunteers in Museums Awards

by Emma Davies, Visitor Services Manager

Two weeks ago, the Jewish Museum played host to the LVMAs 2014. After months of planning and build-up, the day finally arrived and over 160 guests from museums in and around London joined us to celebrate the amazing work volunteers do across the cultural heritage sector and say thank you for their continued support and endeavours.

Proceedings on the night started with photographs and drinks, followed by a ceremony where Chief Executive Abigail Morris spoke about the health benefits of volunteering and was on hand to present the category winners with their prizes. Then, especially for those enjoying their first visit to the museum, a buffet of kosher treats was supplied! 

The Jewish Museum were recognised in two categories:

Pictured above left: volunteer Lynda Gordon receiving her certificate as a Runner Up in the ‘Going the Extra Mile’ category

The Learning Team also nominated their incredible group of Holocaust Survivors for the voluntary work they do at the museum, telling their stories to captivated school groups and they too were recognised as Runners Up in the ‘Best Team’ category. 

It was a wonderful opportunity for volunteers from a variety of organisations to meet and share stories, plus an absolute inspiration for us Volunteer Managers present. The atmosphere was celebratory and it was fantastic to see how supportive the volunteers were of each other; indeed the cheers got quite raucous at points! The commitment of all the volunteers nominated and some of the incredible initiatives they have taken in their roles was truly remarkable and I very much look forward to hearing more incredible stories at the event next year!