Central Bedfordshire Council news and press releases

Couple who bring people together at Christmas receive special volunteer award

Wednesday, 12 June 2019

Ampthill couple, Alex and Jackie Vickers were recipients of the ‘Panel’s Choice Award’ at the Cheering Volunteering Awards and celebration evening which took place at the Grove Theatre, in Dunstable.

Ampthill couple, Alex and Jackie Vickers were recipients of the ‘Panel’s Choice Award’ at the Cheering Volunteering Awards and celebration evening which took place at the Grove Theatre, in Dunstable on 4 June.

Alex and Jackie Vickers are the driving force behind ‘The One Big Christmas Team’, a special lunch event that takes place each Christmas Day and enjoyed by around 70 Ampthill residents who would otherwise be alone. As well as serving lunch at the Baptist Church, a “meals on wheels" type service is also provided to people not able to make it to the venue. Attendance has doubled over the past few years and Alex and Jackie are already making plans to host this year’s lunch in a bigger venue to enable more people to join them to enjoy a happy Christmas.

Organised by us, working in partnership with the Volunteer Centres as part of Central Bedfordshire Together, Cheering Volunteering is annual event which began in 2015 to thank the many volunteers and voluntary organisations across Central Bedfordshire for the often-unheralded work they do to help others in their community.

It was and sponsored by Ringway Jacobs, Grand Union Housing Group, ProLogis, Jeakins Weir and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.