A West Lothian mum-of-two has been nominated for a top Scottish charity award for the hundreds of hours she has given to people affected by cancer.
Shona Mackenzie, from Livingston, has spent the last five years giving her only free morning a week to the Helping Matters programme at Macmillan Cancer Support.
The programme supports people in her local community who are struggling following a cancer diagnosis.
The super mum, who juggles raising two teenage children with her sixty-hour week of child minding, has given over 500 hours of her time.
And as a result she has already been awarded the Macmillan Deborah Hutton award in recognition of her work.
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Now the 48-year-old has been recognised in the Charity Champion category of the Scottish Charity Awards 2019 against three other nominees.
Judges will pick the winner for each of the eight categories.
But Shona is also vying to win the People’s Choice Award, pitted against all forty-four finalists.
Shona said: “I am gobsmacked and feel incredibly humble.
“ I chose to volunteer with Macmillan after sadly losing my mum to cancer when I was 21.
“I thoroughly enjoy my role, although often heart breaking it is also extremely rewarding being able to give something back.
“I feel very honoured and privileged to be able to support individuals on their cancer journey in any which way I can.”
Anita Jefferies, volunteer services manager added: “Shona is simply amazing, she has one very precious free morning each week and she gives this to us at Macmillan.
“She supports people at any stage of their journey from initial diagnosis to end of life.
“She has supported families through the most harrowing of times.
“She is such a genuine person with such a kind nature.
“She listens, she undertakes tasks, she supports, she signposts, but most of all she cares.
“I am just delighted that Shona has been made a finalist as it is extremely well deserved and we’re really proud of her.”
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The Helping Matters programme aims to support a person living with cancer in the way that is important to them .
Support is tailored to the individual’s needs and wishes.
A volunteer can do anything from helping with household chores to taking someone affected by cancer for a trip to the park.
Shona has supported around 16 individuals across West Lothian over the past five years, spending anything from a few weeks to nine months with each individual.
She made the decision to lend her time after seeing how difficult it was to lose her mother to lung cancer at just 21-years-old.
To vote for Shona to win the People’s Choice at the Scottish Charity Awards 2019, visit https://scvo.org/scottish-charity-awards/vote-2019/charity-champion/shona-mackenzie-macmillan-cancer-support.
