National Volunteer Award Profile - Linda Kurimbux
The first winner from the fifth round of Bowls Scotland National Volunteer Awards is Linda Kurimbux from Freuchie Bowling Club.
Linda has been a long-standing member at Freuchie BC, joining her beloved club in 2001. In the last 22 years there are not many roles Linda hasn’t carried out at the club, and she is an ever present and friendly face to members and non-members alike. From working behind the bar, assistant Match Secretary, Club Secretary, and still continuing today to be the Chef, Freuchie BC are certainly lucky to have Linda as part of their club.
Speaking on the various roles she has carried out, Linda said: “When I first joined Freuchie the membership numbers were decreasing to eventually about 30. In order for the club to survive I worked behind the bar along with other members and helped the Treasurer, Nancy Williamson, with the catering taking over following her sudden death.
“I have also been assistant Match Secretary and Club Secretary which I gave up at the 2021 AGM. My mother helped with the catering for many years before I joined, finishing up in her 80’s after helping out with the teas and biscuits for the seniors.”
It’s not just club members at Freuchie BC that Linda caters for as she provides, teas, coffees, homemade baking and meals for the local community and various local groups throughout each year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, every month the club opens its doors to the local community to provide a safe space for people to come and interact and enjoy the food on offer. Through this initiative Freuchie BC are once again helping to prove that bowling clubs throughout the country play a massive role in re-connecting communities and easing people out of isolation.
Proud of the work that herself, fellow members and Freuchie BC provide to their local community, Linda added: “Over the years I have catered for a number of activities such as a breakfast tombola during the winter months. This was well supported, providing company for people who may not have seen anyone during the dark nights. This is still ongoing but in a different format.
“I was also asked if I would provide a tea for the families of members who had died which I do as a mark of respect. I still cater for wakes for the wider community as well.
“Following COVID-19 every month we have a ‘Brew and Blether’ where members of the community can come and enjoy each other’s company and have tea, coffee, and home baking. I also done a fundraiser for the local primary school which involved providing soup and pudding for £5. There were many donations handed in which helped to make this a successful day.
“Last year I catered for the seniors Christmas lunch which was a great success. The Club President, Grant Gifford, organised Santa as well as a singer to entertain the guests.”
All of the selfless hard work that Linda puts in certainly doesn’t go unnoticed or under appreciated by her fellow members and the committee at Freuchie BC. Without Linda’s dedication and expertise, the club would quite simply not be able to operate the same or host all the events they currently do. Grant Gifford, Freuchie’s Club President, decided it was time Linda was recognised for all her efforts and took the decision to nominate her for a National Volunteer Award.
When asked about the impact Linda has at the club, Grant said; “Linda has worked tirelessly in the club and local community over the years, taking on various roles in the club. She also goes above and beyond in doing teas for the village seniors, who are not members of the club, to cooking Christmas lunch for 40 people every December who again are not members of the club.
“All our visiting teams know of Linda’s dedication and hard work making sure all the meals are perfect as well as baking all the cakes herself. Linda has dedicated hundreds of hours to Freuchie BC and fully deserves to be recognised for her long-standing devotion.”
To Linda’s surprise, she was recently presented with her National Volunteer Award at the clubs 2023 opening day in April. Extremely humbled to receive her award, Linda commented: “I do not like to be in the limelight and much prefer to stay in the background, but I understand the reasons why Grant nominated me for the award which I accepted with pride. I would say to anyone who likes to help others that volunteering is one of the best ways to do this.”
Congratulations to Linda on behalf of everyone at Bowls Scotland for receiving her thoroughly deserved National Volunteer Award!
Applications for our next round of nominations close on Friday 16th June 2023. For more information or to nominate someone, please visit: https://www.bowlsscotland.com/club-development/volunteering.
