"I love it": Leeds homeless charity volunteer wins Yorkshire community champion award

Katie Hall was nominated for the award by ten different people for her tireless efforts to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable people in the city, particularly during the pandemic.

Nominations came from friends, colleagues and other volunteers at Leeds Hidden Homeless, where Katie dedicates much of her time.

Katie was praised for always putting others first, distributing food donations across the community, connecting the homeless with relevant charities and braving all weathers to offer people living on the streets with company throughout the night.

Bayfields Opticians & Audiologists, which has over 30 practices across the UK, including eight across Yorkshire, with three in Leeds specifically, launched the awards at the start of 2021 to celebrate the nation’s local heroes who have gone out of their way to help people in their areas.

The campaign was developed after the business’ research revealed that 78 per cent of Brits believe local heroes add more to society than celebrities.

The research, which questioned 2,013 people, also discovered that since the start of the pandemic, two-fifths of people think there is more of a sense of community where they live and over half have seen people be more kind to others.

After receiving hundreds of entries, the business’ Benevolence Committee selected five regional winners.

In response to hearing that she’d been named the Yorkshire regional winner, Katie said: “I’m flabbergasted to have been nominated, let alone by 10 different people.

“I first got involved with Hidden Homeless in Leeds three years ago, quite by chance. I used to cook a lot and was given too many apples as part of a food order, so I contacted the charity to ask if they would benefit from some apple crumbles – they said yes and I’m still here today.

“We conduct our outreach twice a week throughout the year, though Christmas is a busier time and during the pandemic this often increased to seven nights a week. It’s a true team effort and there is so much hard work that goes on behind the scenes collecting and distributing food, organising fundraising activities and much more.

“I’ve never been homeless, but I do live with a mental health condition myself, which means I can empathise with a lot of people on the streets and what they’re going through, which helps gain their trust and makes them more accepting of our help. It’s a fulfilling role which is all centred around other people which is why I love it.”

Royston Bayfield, founder and CEO at Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists, said: “Although the last 20 months have been challenging for people, we know so many individuals, charities and businesses have all worked hard to support their communities.

"Whether through volunteering, fundraising, going above and beyond their job, bringing people together or any general acts of kindness, we wanted to acknowledge some of these community champions and thank them for making a positive difference in their local areas. I’d like to congratulate Katie for making such a positive impact to so many people in her local area.”

Katie said the charity was "always looking for new volunteers and donations".

"Anything you can offer to us, whether it’s food or your time, we’re grateful for it so please don’t hesitate to get in touch", she added.

As well as winning £100, Katie will now go into the national round of the Bayfields Opticians & Audiologists We See You Community Champion Awards and stands a chance of winning £1,000.

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