Three British Eventing (BE) volunteers received awards during a special presentation on Wednesday 6 May at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials.
Mary McNulty, Rose Chugg-Martin and Pippa Best were the winners of Volunteer of the Year, Young Volunteer of the Year and Fence Judge of the Year awards respectively.
Volunteer of the Year
Bicton Horse Trials nominated Mary McNulty for her contribution to the event over the last 30 years. Mary has played a key role in creating a welcoming and supportive volunteer environment, including organising annual training sessions and mentoring new fence judges.
“It’s pretty overwhelming. I’ve been volunteering a long time – I started at Bicton in 1983 in the days when we had mounted stewards. After two years, I was on the committee and a cross-country steward,” said Mary.
“What I love most about volunteering is our amazing fence judges who are absolute stalwarts, many of whom have become friends. They make my job such a joy. I highly recommend anyone interested in volunteering to come and have a go.”
Young Volunteer of the Year
Rose, who is 13, was nominated for Young Volunteer of the Year by the team at Aston-le-Walls after impressing them with her enthusiasm, maturity and willingness to get involved across all areas of the event.
“It’s been the most incredible experience. I’ve been volunteering for about 18 months when my pony sustained a check ligament injury, and it’s been amazing to meet so many incredible people and give back to the sport,” said Rose.
“I love meeting new people and being behind the scenes at events – it’s an amazing experience. I highly recommend it to anyone – you get to meet so many different people with wonderful stories.”
Fence Judge of the Year
Pippa was recognised for her endless enthusiasm and commitment to supporting BE as a fence judge. A familiar face within the Guernsey eventing community, Pippa generously gives her time to support the sport while balancing family life and supporting her daughter’s eventing career.
“It’s amazing. We’re such a happy team and all pull together so to be awarded as an individual is a real honour,” said Pippa.
“We all give so much of our time but it’s what we do. We have grandchildren and children in the sport who will hopefully follow through the ranks so that we have lots of people in years to come helping to run events.
“I’ve been volunteering about eight years and we throw ourselves in and try to learn as much as we can to help people at all levels.
“Every single post is important, so my advice is just to try anything. You don’t need to have a massive knowledge of horses – you’re with a team of knowledgeable people there to help you, so give it a go.”
Playing a ‘vital role’
The trio were presented with their awards at a ceremony which was supported by the Event Horse Owners Association.
“Our volunteers are the heartbeat of British Eventing, and the sport simply would not run without them,” said Rosie Williams, CEO of British Eventing.
“Whether they are fence judging, stewarding, collecting scores, helping behind the scenes or supporting organisers and competitors, every single volunteer plays a vital role in creating the welcoming and supportive environment that makes eventing so special.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and thank you to every volunteer across the country for the incredible contribution you make to our sport.”
Images © British Eventing.
