Five volunteers at a Mossburn community organisation have been recognised for their efforts.

Sara Cummings, Rebecca Penman, Kayliegh Warwick, Juanita Wilson (Manager, Mossburn Community Farm), David Coulter (CEO, Third Sector First), Chireille Scott, Stacey Pointer (Saltire Ambassador, Third Sector First).
Photo credit: Bob Geddes
The young people volunteer at Mossburn Community Farm, Hightae, which looks after misused, abused, neglected and unwanted animals, ranging from the domestic to the exotic. Now their volunteering work has been rewarded with a Saltire Award.
Rebecca Penman, Chireille Scott and Sara Cummings have achieved awards for completing 500 hours of volunteering, while Emily Mears and Kayleigh Warwick have achieved their 100 hour awards.
Together the five young people have given over 1700 hours of their time to Mossburn Community Farm – that is equivalent to 212 working days.
Says Juanita Wilson of the farm: “As a voluntary organisation, volunteers are essential to us. They make the charity what it is and without them we wouldn’t be able to care for all the animals we do.”
The time given by the young people helps to improve the quality of life for the animals by ensuring they are fed, watered and cleaned out. Rebecca says the most memorable moment for her was when she found Treena, a one hour old foal in the field one morning. For Kayleigh, her most memorable moment was when she met Treena and was able to help her learn to suckle.
Volunteering has brought all of the young people greater confidence and has allowed them to make new friends.
David Coulter, Chief Executive of Third Sector First in Dumfries, which delivers the awards in Dumfries and Galloway, said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of voluntary organisations and charities and we are proud to support these awards which recognise all the hard work put in by young people. Without volunteers many community organisations simply couldn’t carry on their essential work and Dumfries and Galloway would be very much poorer for that.”
The Saltire Awards recognise the contribution of young volunteers in Scotland and are open to all young people aged 12 to 25. To find out more and to enter visit www.saltireawards.org.uk.
Find out more about Mossburn Community Farm at www.mossburn.org.
Anyone interested in volunteering in Dumfries and Galloway can contact Third Sector First to find out more about local opportunities at www.thirdsectorfirst.org.uk.