Volunteer of the Year

The Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Service are reliant on a team of hard working and passionate volunteers to support their work across the landscape. Every year, the AONB Service awards one of their team who has consistently gone above and beyond their usual tasks the title of “Volunteer of the Year”. The recipient of the award for 2022 is Rebecca Thurgur.

Over the last year Rebecca has shown extraordinary dedication, helping out across many of the different teams that support the AONB Service. She is a regular on Nature Recovery tasks and assists with the Young Rangers at their monthly meetings, where she is a vital support to Andy Chamberlain, the Ranger Volunteer Co-ordinator. This dedication and enthusiasm made her a unanimous choice for the award.

Rebecca said “I was over the moon – if a wee bit embarrassed – to be selected for this award. Being an AONB Volunteer is one of the highlights of my life and I feel really proud to be part of the wonderful team who work together to improve biodiversity in the area and share our love of the Mendip Hills with others. I have enjoyed walking in the area for many years but becoming a Ranger has added a greater depth of understanding and appreciation of this very special landscape. Thank you so much for this Award, it means a lot to me!”

Andy Chamberlain said “Volunteers are a key part of the team at the AONB Service, and we couldn’t do our work without them. We are extremely grateful to all our amazing volunteers and this award is one way of showing our gratitude.”