A volunteer who has helped to raise more than £90,000 in the last 10 years to support the homeless and vulnerable in Mansfield has received one of the country’s top awards.

Mrs Pam Bishop, of Nottingham Road, Mansfield, was awarded the League of Mercy’s prestigious Order of Mercy medal at an investiture at the London Mansion House.

The league was founded by Royal Charter in 1899 by Queen Victoria and only 27 distinguished national medals have been awarded this year.

Mrs Bishop became a volunteer with Framework in 2003, co-ordinating annual church collections of food and clothing, and street collections.

She also volunteered at winter night shelters in church halls in Mansfield.

Since 2005, she has organised the annual Big Snore at Mansfield’s St Mark’s Church.

It moved to Mansfield Town Football Club’s One Call Stadium this year.

The event involved people sleeping out overnight in the church car park to raise money and awareness of the needs of the homeless and vulnerable, boosting funds for Framework.

Only two people took part in 2005, but now around 90 sleep out each year.
In 2014, around £20,000 was raised.

Mrs Bishop was appointed a lay canon at Southwell Minster in recognition of her voluntary work as lay chairman of the Mansfield Deanery and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, for which she is a member of the General Synod.

A member and worker at Mansfield St Mark’s Church, she is a lay governor of Mansfield’s Queen Elizabeth’s Academy and chair of governors since 2013.

Mrs Bishop is also a lay trustee of All Saints’ Centre for Mission and Ministry.

Mrs Pam Bishop, right, is pictured with Louise Darby, Framework fundraising and communications manager.