"Volunteering for RAY has been an absolute privilege. However, this break has been such a wonderful gift. The staff treated us like royalty and set the tone for our stay - luxury and absolute kindness and generosity. I pride myself on never needing a holiday, but I relaxed within hours of arriving and can honestly say I have benefited from the most relaxing 48 hours I can remember. We have such wonderful memories and photos to match. I won't ever forget the generosity of everyone involved in providing us with this break. I hope you are all aware of how much of an impact your scheme can have and certainly has done in our case."

"Regarding what the nomination has meant to us, it is one of the kindest gestures of thanks we have ever received. I can’t honestly remember the last time we had a relaxing break away, and with finances being tight it was looking very unlikely for this year too. As with all sixteen-year olds, my son’s upmost thoughts are with GCSE exams this summer but with his Asperger’s and the anxiety levels this unfortunately is an even more stressful time for him than most. This short break after his exams has given him something positive to look forward too. I cannot express enough how grateful we are for your kindness and support. Thank you.”

“The hotel could not have done enough to make our stay amazing. Thank you so much. This really was a very special weekend and one which I really am very grateful for. Thank you for making it go so well and at such a wonderful location. It was a really wonderful stay and we loved our visit. I am very grateful indeed for the wonderful gift I was given and really have been amazed with your generosity. Thank you to all who were involved.”

“Thank you so much for making this possible. We have been able to add to our special memory bank which happens all too rarely these days. The level of attention to detail and to looking after us was so high. Altogether, a totally refreshing, relaxing and rejuvenating stay. I am ready to take on what the world has to throw at me again! Really special thanks to you guys.”

“It was very humbling to be nominated to receive this break for all my volunteering efforts for Tenovus. It’s a privilege to be a volunteer and give back to a charity who has been there for me and to be able to make a difference to those who need it. We enjoyed our two-day break in a lovely hotel and the staff were very welcoming and helpful. Room to Reward is a really unique volunteer recognition charity and many people have benefited and will continue to benefit from all their hard work and dedication. Thank you for making a little difference to those who make a difference to others. You are all Hidden Heroes too.”

“We couldn’t believe our treatment at the hotel. It was a beautiful hotel to start with and all the staff were so friendly. We just couldn’t believe how well we were treated, and we had such a lovely lovely time. We are so grateful to all the staff at the hotel and then to the team at Room to Reward who make this possible. This experience wasn’t something we’d usually be able to afford, and we’ll never forget it. Thank you Room to Reward for making it possible.”

"It was an incredible experience which has given me so much, in delightfully unexpected ways. I live my life around supporting my sister, who has learning disabilities. For the last seven months, I have had to provide an even higher level of support and advocacy. I mention this because I knew I was exhausted, but not how much this tiredness was affecting my personality. After my stay, I went to visit my sister and she got a better version of me. I wasn’t just relaxed, I was so much more fun and confident. I didn’t realise how much the depletion made me feel ‘not enough’ but on Saturday I had energy, felt joy and was confident enough for us to try out a fun new activity together. Slowing down and taking a sanctioned break has given me time to pause, rest and reassess. I can already see those are benefits which extend way after check-out. Every moment there was like coming back to myself. This has benefited me, my partner, our relationship, my sister and meant I had resources to do more on Sunday for other people who needed me. This stay has had ripples of positive repercussions emanating out around me. Thank you for what you do. I so appreciate and feel incredibly lucky to have this experience.”

"We are fortunate to have the support of lots of tremendously dedicated, passionate and talented volunteers, and it can be a little frustrating for us as staff that our budget cannot stretch to a way to thank them adequately. Working with Room to Reward is incredible as we are able to recognise those volunteers who really go above and beyond with a much-deserved trip away at some fantastic hotels. Volunteers volunteer their time because they care about a cause, but it’s really valuable for us as an organisation to recognise that care and thank our volunteers wherever we can – that way the volunteers are likely to feel motivated to volunteer with us for longer, and that’s very important not only for us, but for the young people we work with. Thanks Room to Reward!”

"I have worked in the voluntary sector for 19 years and this has to be one of the best ways to express gratitude to volunteers for their gift of time. Without the volunteering heroes that give so readily for their fellow citizen, many people and charities would suffer or close as a result. If you have a strong vibrant voluntary sector, you have a strong vibrant community. Room to Reward supports volunteers in abundance. Your innovation in this project is remarkable. Thank you for making this dream come true for so many. What a wonderful charity you are - bringing a smile to people's faces."

"My role as a volunteer coordinator is so often about asking people to do things and so limited with what I'm able to do to thank them. Obviously we say thank you (often!), write cards, send e-mails and the rest, but to be able to show someone that they are valued, send them a nomination with specific reflections on their contribution and treat them to a break away is another level. Getting to have these conversations with our volunteers - telling them they've been recognised and rewarded in this way, and hearing about the break they're looking forward to/have enjoyed - is a treat for me as well! Thanks so much for all you do, it's so appreciated - by everyone who interacts with the process!"

“The impact on the day of presenting these new awards was huge! The responses from those nominated since being given the awards has been amazing! It has confirmed that embracing this new reward scheme was absolutely the right thing to do. We made sure to include the full nominations so that they knew what we said about each of them. They have all been very touched, very honoured and very grateful. The collaborative effort and the process of writing the nominations was incredibly rewarding and an excellent reminder of how exceptional some of our volunteers really are. It’s important that you know how much this scheme means to volunteers. THANK YOU!”

“Recognising the outstanding contribution of volunteers is exceptionally important, and very motivational. This reward scheme is absolutely perfect. Whilst not wanting recognition for what they do, our Volunteers who have received a “Hidden Hero” award have all said “you have no idea how lovely that break was.” The gratitude expressed by those who have been nominated has resulted in a greater contribution towards our charity and the urge to do even more for our patients. We are so very grateful and proud to be a charity partner.”

We had a great day -  our winning volunteers were all proud and pleased to receive such a prize. Thank you so much for your support – this really has transformed our celebration of the work of our volunteers into a proper awards day!

"What I love about Room to Reward is the simplicity of its purpose. It’s a real win-win scenario for both the charity and the hotel. Room to Reward is a great way of supporting numerous charities and communities in a very simple, uncomplicated but meaningful way."