Jason Rigby – Unsung Hero Awards

Nomination

Award Category:

Volunteer of the year

Individual or Team Nomination?

Individual

Qualifying Qualities

In these challenging times, nominators were asked to show how the nominee had demonstrated the following qualities:

Exceptional work ethic - going above and beyond their job description, especially in the past 12 months.
Outstanding achievement/s in work or outside of the organisation where relevant.
Drive for innovation and proactive leadership in these challenging times.
High level of interpersonal skills, such as kindness, empathy, loyalty and thoughtfulness to staff and patients.
A resilience considering Covid to their role and to the health and wellbeing of their colleagues.

Nominators Answer

Nominee's story :

On recently moving to the trust in late 2022/early 2023 Jason volunteered to set up and run a wellbeing choir on one of the hospital sites in the north of the county. Since the inaugural rehearsal in Feb 2023 the choir has gone from strength to strength and we now have 41 members. I have been fortunate to be in many choirs but this is by far one of the most fun and supportive. This is majorly due to Jason who always gives 1000% to arranging the rehearsals, encouraging and supporting both individual members through additional one to one coaching to increase their confidence to arranging scores, backing tracks, spreading the word and setting up concerts. We were invited to perform at the Staff award ceremony in July, just 5 months after our first rehearsal and the energy from the choir was felt by the audience. As i write this we are just about to embark on a series of Christmas events including a Christmas market, switching on the Christmas lights, our own charity concert with a set list of 21 songs and surprise guests as well as other events in the hospital chapel and childrens ward. Jason also hosts a singing group at the hospice that is also part of the trust. None of this would be possible without Jason's tireless effort both in the background planning songs, arranging learning tracks, sending out weekly correspondence so that even staff unavailable due to work patterns are up to date with what is happening, arranging equipment and collecting donations for fund raising on the night of the concerts. Liaising with local news and radio, hospital board members and more besides, most of which we don't know the half of. He does most of this in his own time. All of the joy, fun and energy we all get from weekly rehearsals and the pride swell from people rising to the challenge in public events, is all without financial costs but priceless to each and everyone of us. It is also a joy to watch Jason's expressions change as the conductor- from our very first rehearsal to now his face radiates with pure pride and joy- testament to what he has achieved. If Well-being was the goal, Jason certainly acheived that, we are so grateful and proud of our voluntary choir master. (Power Choir, Horton Hospital)