A volunteer who supports the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum come rain or shine has scooped a National Trust for Scotland accolade for Volunteer of the Year at an Edinburgh awards ceremony.

Sandy McIntosh began supporting the team at RBBM by driving a visitor buggy between the museum and Burns’ Cottage. Providing guided tours of the site as he drives, his sense of humour and his knowledge have made him a hit with visitors young and old.

Sandy’s contributions have also included guiding school groups from the museum to the cottage. However, the value of Sandy’s volunteering has often be found in more unexpected areas. Recently, he restored an abandoned bench on the site into a functional seat for visitors. He developed guided tours of the site which were aimed specifically at visitors who were ‘geographically challenged’ by the museum’s Alloway setting. Sandy can be found at the Museum assisting whenever he is available, including outdoor guided tours despite sometimes inclement weather.

His commitment was acknowledged in his nomination, where it was noted that: “Sandy’s middle name should be “Support”. This is what he does unstintingly, and what he has done since the day and hour he joined the team at RBBM.” Sandy received the top award in the Property category. Awards were also presented in categories including Gardens, Support, Outdoor Conservation and Groups, representing the breadth of volunteer work for the National Trust for Scotland across the country. A special ProjectScotland award was also presented to an outstanding young volunteer, as part of the Trust’s partnership with Scotland’s national youth volunteering programme.

The award was presented by Trust Chairman Sir Kenneth Calman and Head of Volunteering, Violet Dalton.

Sir Kenneth said: “The Trust depends upon the support of its volunteers, and their continuing effort is a vote of confidence in both our Trust and the worth of our heritage. I am privileged to present the Volunteer of the Year Awards, knowing that the time, skills and resources our volunteers devote to the Trust are beyond any words of gratitude I can offer.” The National Trust for Scotland has over 3,400 volunteers who play a key role in keeping Scotland’s heritage alive at properties and offices all over Scotland. For more information about volunteering opportunities visit: http://www.nts.org.uk/Volunteering/.