Perioperative practitioners are being urged to submit their applications for this year’s Hilda Winifred Mears Award to be in with a chance of winning £1,000 towards a trip overseas as a medical volunteer.
The Hilda Winifred Mears award is presented annually and allows members to share their knowledge and experience in areas that do not benefit from free, quality healthcare. Hilda Winifred Mears was an active member of the AfPP and held many perioperative posts both within the UK and abroad. She died in 2008, leaving a legacy to the association used to fund the award named in her honour. One of the winners in 2011 was Katie Lai Choy Budden, who used the award to work with Mercy Ships, a global charity providing free surgery and medical support to some of the world’s most disadvantaged people. She joined the ship for two weeks during a voyage to Sierra Leone. “The time I spent on the ship was a unique experience and enabled me to share my skills, helping to make a genuine difference to people less fortunate than myself. I feel privileged and very grateful that I was chosen for the Hilda Winifred Mears Award, and would recommend anyone who is interested in volunteering overseas to apply,” she commented. For more information on the Hilda Winifred Mears Award, visit www.afpp.org.uk/careers/awards where an application form is available to download. The closing date for applications is 14 April 2012. Award winners will be expected to undertake their placement within 18 months of the award being granted and funds will be released once a letter confirming their placement has been received.
