Portaferry woman named as volunteer champ

Portaferry woman named as volunteer champ

19 June 2013

A PORTAFERRY woman described as an ‘extraordinary, ordinary person’ has been crowned the Ards Volunteer Champion for 2013.

Caroline Mageean, of Portaferry Gala Committee and Portaferry Community Collective, was presented with the Ards Borough Council award, during a ceremony celebrating the contribution of volunteers to civic life.

Caroline won the award for juggling the demands of a full-time job, a young family and investing her time and energy to help the wider community, along with staging large scale events such as the annual gala.

In the 60 plus age category the joint winners were Ellie Dempster, from Portaferry in Bloom, and Helen Caldwell, of Ballywalter Community Action Group and Ballywalter Seniors Group.

Ellie was recognised for the inspirational role she has played in encouraging others to volunteer and her work to make Portaferry more visually appealing by creating planters, baskets and floral displays in the town.

Councillor Stephen McIlveen, Mayor of Ards, who presented the awards said the level of volunteering which goes on across the Ards Borough is impressive.