BEN staff were guests at Royal Holloway University's Celebration of Volunteering Awards on 2 June. This is an annual awards evening which recognises the contribution and commitment of Royal Holloway University students who volunteer with local organisations and projects in their community.

This year saw students Katherine Kemp-Dillon and Sin-Yee Tang receive merit certificates for their volunteering service to BEN. Both have worked with BEN's Marketing Department for two years supporting our database team with essential data cleansing and development work. During this time they have contributed over 400 volunteering hours for BEN - a commendable achievement.

One of the most prestigious awards of the evening is the Community Partner of the Year Award. This accolade is given to the organisation which provides outstanding support and opportunity to Royal Holloway University volunteers throughout the year and this year BEN was delighted to win!

BEN staff receive their award2009 has seen a number of Royal Holloway University students volunteering at BEN. Of those deserving of special mention are Katherine Kemp-Dillon, Sin-Yee Tang and Rebecca Wingrove who supported our Marketing Department; Laura Poldve, John Wang and Sharon Stanley who supported our Volunteers Department; and Syeda Hussain who supported both our Finance Department and Lynwood Therapy Department. The Men's Rugby team and Ladies Football team have also volunteered at Lynwood nursing home on a range of projects such as redecorating the chapel, replacing broken paving stones and cleaning residents' furniture and equipment.

BEN could not function without the wonderful support of all its volunteers. The long-standing partnership with Royal Holloway University has proved a huge success, providing us with a number of volunteers each year to supporting our activities. We look forward to working together for many years to come.