Teenager Abigail Saltman has jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet for charity — yet has her feet firmly on the ground when it comes to volunteering for her Jewish community in Ilford.

She helps out at Jewish Care’s day centre services among her many other charitable activities.

Now the 18-year-old has topped it all by being named the Jewish Volunteering Network’s (JVN) ‘Outstanding Young Adult Volunteer of the Year’ as recognition by her community.

“Never in a million years did I expect to win the award,” she said. “I do this because I enjoy helping others and seeing the impact I can have.”

Abigail has been a volunteer at for the last four years. She started volunteering after school when she was just 14.

But she hasn’t stopped there and is currently doing voluntary work in Israel despite the current situation in the Middle East — too busy volunteering, in fact, to accept the award herself. It was left to her dad Ben Saltman to receive the accolade on her behalf at The Grove banqueting venue on January 14.

The proud dad said afterwards: “It just goes to show that if you have a heart and want to give something back then you should. As a father, the joy she gives from helping others is amazing to see. There was such an amazing selection of people being nominated.”

Abi’s passion for volunteering inspired her to take fundraising to new heights when she did her 10,000ft skydive in the summer to raise £3,500 in sponsorship from wellwishers for Jewish Care’s new Redbridge Development project. 

The facility, which is expected to begin construction this month, to be completed in two years’ time, replaces the charity’s Gants Hill care home.

Abi was commended by the charity’s services director for volunteering and social work, Richard Shone, who said: “The Young Volunteer award is a testament to everything she has done. Her volunteering in our day centre services and of course the fundraising she did jumping out of an aeroplane to raise money for our new care campus as well as the volunteering for other charities is all an incredible achievement.”

Abigail was a senior leader in the charity’s youth leadership programme which motivates, inspires, and educates young people in Redbridge. She has also been given the charity’s ‘Award for Excellence in Youth Leadership’.

Others receiving awards in other categories at the JVN Awards 2023 included Valerie Nead receiving the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award who volunteers twice a week at the Michael Sobell community centre at Golders Green in north London.

Valerie was diagnosed with stage 4 of non-Hodgkinson’s Lymphoma just a year after she started volunteering and was then told it was incurable.

She has continued her volunteering, however, feeling inspired by “the joy that she brings to others”.

The charity’s Befriending team won the ‘Team of the Year’ award, who make it possible for 350 pensioners and older people in the community to stay socially connected. They organise volunteers to keep in touch with them, many of whom are living alone and have limited contact or are unable to get out much.

The coordinators organise volunteer befrienders to make regular weekly or bi-weekly calls for a chat and help them make friendships. 

Geoff Wrightman and Louise Bronstein both won ‘Volunteer of the Year’ awards.

Geoff was recognised for delivering Meals on Wheels four days a week for the past five years, creating relationships with each person he calls at. He has also been in touch with the local authority to make sure all the volunteers can park on single yellow lines for 20 minutes while delivering the meals.

Meanwhile, Louise spends her time coordinating 28 volunteer drivers and hosts to make sure the charity’s communities tea parties run smoothly. The fortnightly gatherings connect older people to the Jewish community who may otherwise be isolated, who are picked up by volunteers who drive them to the parties and home again.