Big Brothers Big Sisters 2019 Values Awards

In June 2019 we celebrated 1000 outings of the BBBS programme with an event at Oxfordshire County Hall. It was an opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers and mark their commitment to mentoring children in their community. Read on to find out more about what BBBS is like for Big and Little Siblings in the programme!

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a programme run in partnership between Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford Hub. Our volunteer awards recognise Big Siblings who have demonstrated the Oxford Hub Values (which you may have seen in our office wall).

We have an amazing group of volunteers who have been supporting 45 children across Oxfordshire since the pilot scheme started in summer 2017. Read on to meet some of our Big Siblings!

Long-term Awards

Big Brothers Big Sisters is all about being a consistent and supportive adult presence for children. Four pairs who had been together for more than 50 times picked up their Long-term Awards!

• Esther and her Little Sister, who have been out together 52 times. They have done lots of outdoor activities, including cycling, swimming, bird watching and fishing. They are often joined by Esther’s partner, Andy. They recently became one of our first ‘Big Couples’ trained by the scheme.
• Emma and her Little Brother, who have been out together 68 times. They do lots of sports and active outings, including going bowling (where Emma’s Little Brother always wins!), going swimming and to crazy golf. Emma has been described by her Little Brother’s grandmother as part of the family.
• Stacey & her Little Sister, who have been out together 82 times. This includes an exciting trip to London where they climbed a skyscraper, lots of swimming, ice-skating and doing incredible craft projects together. Stacey has also done lots to champion the scheme, including this amazing blog about becoming a Big Sister.
• Jasmine & her Little Sister, who have been together 83 times! They have done lots of horse riding together, watched War Horse at the theatre, and been to the horse races, sharing their mutual love of (you guessed it) horses!

Social Award

We love joint outings because they create community amongst our Little and Big Siblings and because it means that everyone can have even more fun. This award goes to two volunteers who have been doing lots of joint outings, both with each other and with other pairs in the scheme. Adela & Esther have coordinated to take their Little Sisters on lots of adventures together— including joint trips down the river Thames, a visit to the Donkey Sanctuary, crafts in Didcot Cornerstone arts centre, slime making parties, and much more.

Motivational Award

We have an amazing community of Big Siblings who are always encouraging their Little Siblings to try new things, and who also encourage each other to keep going. This award goes to Georgie, who has boundless energy, can always be relied on for ideas about activities and just has so much fun in her outings. She was matched with one Little Sister, but ended up taking two of them in the family. She’s also organised some exciting joint outings with other pairs, and is always up for having fun!

Bold Award

Big Sister Mandy loved her experience as a Big Sister so much that she has recently become a long-term foster carer to an adorable baby boy. A brilliant and bold move! We wanted to celebrate how much she did for her Little Sister, who has basically become part of her extended family.

Ambitious Award

Beth has been with us since Cohort 1, and when her original Little Sister didn’t need her anymore, she continued on the scheme and built a new relationship with another Little Sister. She has done some incredible outings, from dissecting a sheep’s eyeball to pony riding, potion making and smoothie blending. In true ambitious style, she is also running the Oxford Half Marathon to raise funding for BBBS — you can sponsor her here.

Become a Big Brother or Big Sister!

We’re always looking for Big Brothers or Big Sisters to forge lasting relationships with children. Their role is to provide a long-term consistent friendship, which will help build self-esteem and support children to achieve their potential through a range of positive activities.

You can become a Big Brother or Sister to a child in your community. Our volunteers come from all walks of life, most of them are in full-time employment, others have recently retired. We are looking for people who can make time for a child, and we ask that you commit approximately 4 hours every week, for a minimum of a year (although we are looking for people who may be able to be around for longer).

If you think you are up to the challenge (or know someone who may be!) you can visit our website to find out more.