A charitable student from Salford City College’s Pendleton Sixth Form Centre has been awarded a ‘Heart of Salford’ award by Salford CVS.
18-year-old Applied Science student Maryam Taher was named Young Volunteer of the Year for her work with Salford Healthy Communities in raising awareness of the symptoms of cancer and heart disease.
Former All Hallows RC High School pupil Maryam said: “I started volunteering in October 2014, as I wanted to take part in activities that would help people in my local area. It was a great way to meet new people, and it is also a good thing to put on my university application.”
The work Maryam does with Salford Healthy Communities involves referring people to get health checks, and make them more aware of the symptoms of cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.
She explained: “Many people are not aware of the symptoms of different types of cancer, so the work we do aims to change this to improve people’s health in Salford.”
Maryam was presented with her Heart of Salford award at a special ceremony at Buile Hill Park Hall in December. She said: “I was so happy to win the award- I have never won anything like this before as this is my first time working as a volunteer.”
Through her work with Salford Healthy Communities, Maryam is also now a trained Stop Smoking Practitioner, and consequently will soon be working on a project with students across the College.
“Maryam’s commitment to her local community is inspiring,” commented Stacy Cass, Senior Health & Wellbeing Worker at Salford Healthy Communities. “She has transformed from a very shy young lady into a formidable force for the improvement of health in her community. She is a shining example of youth in Salford today.”
Having moved to the UK as an asylum seeker in 2011, Maryam found that volunteering was a good way to help with her language skills and her confidence. She says that her involvement with Salford Healthy Communities has helped her both personally and academically, as the work also links to her college studies.
The budding biologist is currently in her second year studying BTEC Applied Science at Pendleton Sixth Form Centre, which she describes as a ‘very interesting and practical course’. When she finishes this year, she plans to go to university to study Biomedical Science, and hopes to one day specialise in haematology, working in a lab to diagnose blood disease.
