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The UK Points of Light are outstanding individual volunteers – people who are making a change in their community. Every week day the Prime Minister recognises an inspirational volunteer with the daily Points of Light award.
First established by USA President George H. W. Bush in 1990, UK Points of Light was developed in partnership with the US programme and launched in April 2014.
Since then hundreds of people have been named Points of Light by the Prime Minister.
On 22nd March 2024, Roger Cassidy, Chair of Trustees at Aquabox, was given this award.
‘Aquabox’ was founded by Mike Hoole and Peter Hare, two members of the ‘Wirksworth Rotary Club’, in 1992, as a way to help provide clean water and offer humanitarian aid to victims of human conflict and natural disasters worldwide. Roger became involved with the charity, initially as a volunteer in 2013, and has been a trustee for the past 9 years and as Chair of Trustees since 2018.
The award for Roger coincides with World Water Day, a day to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
Roger said:
“Clean water is so essential to life and when I first visited Aquabox in 2013, I was completely bowled over to see the volunteers assembling the life saving water filters and packing the aid boxes. The enthusiasm and resourcefulness of the volunteers, as well as the generous support from our supporters, is truly heartwarming and it has been an absolute privilege to be part of this wonderful charity for the past 10 years, knowing that we’ve helped to save the lives of many children and their families in the most desperate of circumstances.”
