TREVOR Crawley is this year's Wirral Volunteer of the year 1999.

Trevor, from Beechwood, Birkenhead, is the fifth person to win the Volunteer of the Year title, organised by Wirral Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) and sponsored for the third successive year by NatWest Bank.

He succeeds last year's winner Rose Dixon, of Birkenhead. Previous winners include the first ever recipient, Bill Hughes, in 1995, Mary (May) Burscough, of Rock Ferry, in 1996, and Walter Robinson, of Wallasey, in 1997.

The event was held at Pacific Road Tramsheds and Transport Museum, Birkenhead, compered by radio personalities Billy & Wally, and in the presence of the Mayor of Wirral, Councillor Hugh Lloyd, who declared "all recipients are heroes".

Trevor Crawley devotes a lot of his time to the Feltree Resource Centre, where he shops daily - no matter what the weather - for older people on the Beechwood Estate, and for pensioners attending the day centre.

He collects prescriptions, spends time with lonely older people, fund-raises for the Feltree Resource Centre, takes pensioners and disadvantaged children on holiday, and runs the bingo in the social club. He entertains children at Christmas by donning a Father Christmas costume. Trevor also raises money for charity, including fund-raising for KIND (Kids in Need & Distress).

Said a shocked but jubilant Trevor after winning the title: "It is unbelievable. You just don't expect it. I think I get noticed because I'm always walking everywhere."

THE Wirral Volunteer of the Year award winners pictured with their certificates. The competition had six categories from which judges had to choose the overall winner.

Category winners:-

Unemployed: Trevor Crawley.

Employed (for volunteering in own time): Denis La-Ffin.

Younger person (under-25): Peter Griffiths.

Older person (over-65): Eleanor Draper.

Disabled person: Swasie Turner.

Special category for 1999 - The 'made a difference' award to recognise an individual or group whose contribution of one to one support has enabled others to overcome difficulties in their time: Barbara Bright.

Special CEWTEC award: Christine Tooher.

All winners received a special certificate, frame and award, plus Wirral Leisure Services splashed out to give all winners a free family swimming pass for a month to use at any Wirral Leisure Centres, and Wirral CVS would like to express their gratitude to Leisure Services.

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