the-BA : Bodmer Award for Volunteers 2005

Volunteers in the North West of England have been rewarded for giving tens of thousands of young people the chance to explore science in fun and educational activities. Each year, the BA awards the Sir Walter Bodmer Award for Volunteers to a dedicated volunteer or group of volunteers in recognition of the great value and impact of its volunteers. The announcement comes at the start of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), which this year celebrates its 21st anniversary.

This year, the award has been split and awarded to both the BAYSDAY volunteer committee (now Science Discovery Day committee) in the North West of England and to Roger Long from Ulverston in Cumbria, one of the founders of the Cumbria BA Branch in the late 1980s.

BAYSDAY volunteers’ award touched by sad loss

The BAYSDAY volunteer committee, a team of dedicated and inspirational volunteers, has been recognised for giving around 25,000 young people the chance to find out what makes science fun and to be inspired to consider science as a career.

However, the announcement is tinged with sadness as one of the core team, Mike Langford, a former Head of Sixth Form and science teacher at Parr's Wood Sixth Form College, died suddenly very recently. Alongside fellow volunteers Brenda Keogh and Stuart Naylor, Mike had been helping organise the annual BAYSDAY, originally held in Manchester and more recently at Crewe, since 1987. The event saw thousands of schoolchildren taking part in hands-on activities and workshops.

‘We are surprised and delighted that the committee is to receive this award,’ says Brenda. ‘Seeing thousands of children actively engaged in science and technology over the years and working with so many enthusiastic colleagues has been a privilege. It’s a real honour for the committee to be recognised in this way. We are very sad that Mike will not be there with us to receive the award but delighted that his son Andrew is so ably continuing the work that he began and will represent Mike at the BA Festival.’

The planning for each BAYSDAY (or Science Discovery Day, as it is now known) is a year-round activity, requiring volunteer effort in putting the programme together, bringing in sponsors, arranging publicity and ensuring children and their teachers have a fulfilling experience on the day.

Building partnerships in Cumbria

Roger Long has received the Sir Walter Bodmer Award for Volunteers for his outstanding work giving 18,000 young people in one of the less populated parts of the country the chance to take part in fun and educational science activities.

Roger was one of the founders of the Cumbria BA Branch in the late 1980s and is currently the Branch’s Secretary. He has been a dedicated Branch Officer and activist in the Cumbria region. In particular he built a local partnership with Glaxo Smith Kline which made possible two major events each year: Fun Science in Cumbria (a week-long hands-on event for younger pupils) and the GSK Link Lecture for older school pupils.

‘The BA relies on a large network of volunteers across the whole of the UK to help reach a wide of audience of all ages,’ says Roland Jackson, Chief Executive of the BA. ‘Without our volunteers we could not hope to achieve even a fraction of what we currently do. We would therefore like to thank the recipients of the Sir Walter Bodmer Award for Volunteers and all the thousands of other volunteers who help us throughout the year.
‘We are of course very saddened by Mike’s death. He was aware of the award and had been looking forward to receiving the award at the BA Festival of Science in September.’

The winners will all attend the BA Festival of Science in Dublin to collect their awards this September. Mike Langford will be represented by his son Andrew – now a science teacher himself and an enthusiastic member of the Science Discovery Day committee.

Find out more about volunteering for the BA here.

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