Lesley's Volunteer Award!

A Burton and District Mind Volunteer, Lesley Kirk, received a Certificate of Recognition for her volunteering at the Support Staffordshire Volunteer Awards 2025!

Lesley is such a valued member of our Burton and District Mind Team, through the support she provides to many of our projects, such as Eco-Therapy, Bat and Chat Cricket, our Burton Library Listening Space and many, many more.

Emma Godfrey, Project Support Coordinator at Burton and District Mind, who nominated Lesley, said…

“Lesley has a wonderful nature, which means she is incredible with helping people who are struggling. She is always upbeat, calm and the most helpful and kind person I have ever met.

She is always putting others before herself, and her selflessness never goes unnoticed. It is a pleasure to work with her, and we are so grateful she chooses to volunteer for Burton and District Mind. I don’t know what we would do without all of her support. Thank you, Lesley!”

This was a fantastic opportunity to talk to Lesley about her volunteering journey over the past few years, in the hopes of offering some insight towards what goes into volunteering.

What inspired you to originally want to be a part of Burton and District Minds volunteering team?

During Covid, while I was struggling with my own mental health, I reached out to Burton and District Mind and joined their Eco-Therapy group. I saw what the volunteer did, and thought I could do that! The rest is history…

How long have you now been volunteering for?

I have been volunteering now for 4 years, and would like to continue for as long as I can.

What does your average week look like as a volunteer?

It can vary, some weeks it can be volunteering for one day, other weeks it can be up to 4 days.

What does this award mean to you?

This award means a lot to me; it shows that I am appreciated for all of the work that I do for Burton and District Mind.

What projects have you been a part of, and do you have a favourite?

The projects are numerous, I have been in schools and colleges, talking about Mental Health Awareness, Walk and Talk football, Mind Music, The Listening Space at Burton Library, Mind Makeover, and Bat and Chat. I also help with other projects, such as volunteer fairs and money-raising functions. My favourite has to be the Mind Makeover, which I now facilitate, but did start as a volunteer when it was first run.

What has been your proudest accomplishment since volunteering?

There are so many, seeing the difference to the participants from when they first come to see me at the Listening Space to when they have used our services – Being part of Mind Music, taking on Mind Makeover, I have ran 4 of these 12 week courses, and seeing the light bulb moment when the participants realise that they can use the tools we show them to help themselves.

At the moment, the Bat and Chat, helping the participants to understand more about their Mental Health and how to help themselves, as well as the way in which it has developed into something bigger, with it being taken over the country next year.

What is something you’d really like to do as a volunteer?

Just more of the same, really, it's a great place to be, and it gets me out of bed in the morning.

What would you say to someone considering being a volunteer for Burton and District Mind?

I would say definitely, the staff are brilliant and so supportive, and other volunteers are great, and we work together as a team, also the participants, who are struggling, and then becoming part of the project and enjoying what they are doing, also to see the friendships they make with each other is very rewarding.

How important is mental health to you?

Mental Health is very important to me. I have struggled in the past, and because of the volunteering, it has helped me understand more about myself and my mental health.

This has been an incredible journey, which I hope to stay on for as long as I can.

We also want to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to Lesley for all the amazing things she does as part of our Burton and District Mind volunteer team.