A Bath woman, who has epilepsy, has been awarded a volunteer of the year award by national charity Epilepsy Action.
Nicole Boren was presented with an award for the promotion of public information and awareness about epilepsy at an awards ceremony in Leeds last week.
Nicole, 36, is a long-standing supporter of Epilepsy Action and has been helping to raise awareness of epilepsy for several years. She is very open about her epilepsy and the treatments she has had, including surgery.
Nicole is always willing to speak out about her experiences and is never too busy to help out, often at short notice. She understands the importance of sharing her experiences of epilepsy in raising awareness of the condition and the impact it has on people’s lives.
Accepting the award, Nicole said: “I am thrilled to receive this award from Epilepsy Action. Knowing that my volunteering has played a part in raising awareness of epilepsy is very rewarding.”
Philip Lee, chief executive at Epilepsy Action, presented the award. He said: “We are delighted to acknowledge the very special efforts of volunteers like Nicole at this year’s Epilepsy Action National Volunteer Awards. These awards reflect the wonderful efforts of the recipients and mark our appreciation for the tremendous work that all our volunteers undertake.
“At Epilepsy Action we achieve what we do because of the support of our fantastic volunteers. Those here today have played a very special role in helping us to improve the lives of the 600,000 people with epilepsy across the UK.”
Epilepsy Action’s National Volunteer Awards aim to recognise the outstanding support given to the charity by its volunteers nationwide.
A total of 16 awards were presented across nine categories. For more information about volunteering opportunities at Epilepsy Action visit epilepsy.org.uk/volunteer or call the local services team on 0113 210 8800.
Epilepsy affects around one in every 100 people in the UK alone and 87 people are diagnosed with the condition every day. Each year, Epilepsy Action directly helps over one million people through a range of services, including its Epilepsy Helpline, freephone 0808 800 5050, branch network, specialist nurse scheme and award-winning website, epilepsy.org.uk
