Ron Leon has received a Volunteer Award at the ‘People who make a difference’ Aylesbury Vale Community Chest Awards, held on Friday 17th March, for his work as a Volunteer Counsellor with Buckinghamshire Mind.

Buckinghamshire Mind provides accessible and affordable counselling support to over 200 Aylesbury residents who may otherwise have been unable to access a suitable service. Ron Leon is one of eight Volunteer Counsellors in Aylesbury who provide an initial assessment and 10 further sessions to clients of the Buckinghamshire Mind Adult Counselling Service.

“Buckinghamshire Mind is delighted that Ron Leon has received this Award in recognition of the vital and valuable Counselling he provides as one of our Volunteers,” says Andrea McCubbin, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Mind. “I would like to congratulate Ron and thank him for his significant contribution to improving the lives of people with a mental health problem in the county.”

The Adult Counselling Service has been a recipient of an Aylesbury Vale Community Chest grant for the past three years, which has been crucial in supporting its redevelopment. The Service is now subsidised according to people’s ability to pay, meaning that it often supports people who cannot afford private therapy or are not meeting criteria for statutory services.

“Our Counselling Service has seen real growth since it was redeveloped, with over 150 people seen in the past year alone,” continues Andrea McCubbin. “Over 90% of our clients report improved mental health as a result of attending our Service and 96% rate the Service as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. This success is thanks to Ron Leon and all our other fantastic Counsellors.”

Buckinghamshire Mind provides a wide range of Services for people with mental health problems across the county, which are supported by over 200 dedicated volunteers.

The ‘People who make a difference’ Aylesbury Vale Community Chest Awards were presented by The Hon Mrs CR Soames DL, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, at the Working Together 2017 event on Friday 17 March at The Gateway.