Anne is North Yorkshire volunteer of the year
30 Oct 2023
Settle Pool trustee Anne Galloway has been named North Yorkshire volunteer of the year.
Anne received her award from North Yorkshire council chair Coun. David Ireton, at a ceremony in Harrogate, organised by the council, to recognise the contribution that the community organisations and volunteers make to life across the county.
Alongside the award the pool will receive a £1,000 cash donation.
A video made by the council’s communications team highlights Anne’s role as the inspiration behind the pool charity shop.
The shop has played a crucial role in the transformation of Settle pool at a time when many other public swimming pools across the country have been forced to close as a result of soaring costs and reduced public funding.
It was seven years ago on a visit to Kirkcudbright in Scotland that Anne saw how the local community swimming pool was able to finance itself by running a charity shop. She persuaded Settle pool supporters to follow this example and after a great deal of work behind the scenes the pool shop opened in May 2017.
Since then it has generated a steady flow of income for the pool. This has made possible the major redevelopment work completed just over a year ago and has gone some way towards off-setting soaring energy bills. Recently a second pop up shop has opened to sell the larger and more expensive items that have been given by generous local supporters.
Anne has been a pool trustee since 2013. In addition to her role in developing the charity shop and now the new pop up shop, she leads the trustee’s group on staff development. Over the past year she has devoted a great deal of time to helping see through the staff changes resulting from the expansion of the pool to include the new dry space area, known as fitSpace, and the creation of enhanced catering facilities.
Anne said: “Whilst I am delighted to receive this award, all the work that I have put in would have meant nothing without the efforts of our other trustees, volunteers and the pool staff. The continuing success of Settle pool is based around the commitment shown by the whole community and not least those who donate and buy from our charity shops. The award really belongs to all of them.”
Colin Coleman chair of the pool trustees said: “Anne is 100 per cent committed to the pool. I am sure she spends more time here and at the charity shop than she does at home. She richly deserves the accolade of North Yorkshire volunteer of the year.”
The full story about all awards from North Yorkshire Council is here:
Our local newspaper the Craven Herald has the story too here