Ian Bousfield receives the 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award for the North West region
At the conference held on 26th September 2009, British Rowing was delighted to announce the Regional Volunteer of the Year Awards in recognition of the outstanding commitment and dedication demonstrated by each individual. Ian Bousfield was awarded Volunteer of the Year for the North West region.
About two years ago Ian joined Lancaster University Boat Club as a novice rower and quickly progressed through the ranks, earning a seat in the novice first eight by Easter and was in contention for the senior first eight by the Summer. Unfortunately Ian became unwell during the intense period of seat-racing and was told that due to damage to his lungs he would have to abstain completely from exercise and give up rowing. The club says that the way he reacted was ‘mind-blowing’. Though he can no longer row he attends all the senior outings, driving the safety launch and coaching novice outings. He supervises ergo sessions, organises and orders kit, fixes equipment, updates the website. He does all this without complaint and asks for nothing in return. He does it for the good of the club and his commitment is selfless – particularly as he is studying for his degree and this is all on the back of just 15 months rowing.
It takes a lot to impress university students and Ian has done just that. He hasn’t revolutionised the way the club is run – he just makes everything a little bit easier – in the selfish world of rowing we need more people like Ian!
To read more about the experiences of British Rowing volunteers follow this link
