A BIG-HEARTED Halesowen shop assistant has been awarded Volunteer of the Year by the Salvation Army.

James Felkins volunteers at the Hagley Road charity shop Hagley Street and beat off competition from hundreds of people across the country.

Salvation Army bosses were overwhelmed by the calibre of 100s of volunteers who applied for the award.

Head of retail Paul Wright said: “We’re delighted to say that we weren’t short of entries for this award as all our volunteers are talented and committed.

"It was hard to choose a winner, however James deserved this based on the excellent feedback we had from his colleagues, in essence James represents all our volunteers, without whom we could not achieve everything we do."

He added: “We are always on the look-out for new volunteers to support our shop teams so if you think you can spare a few hours a week we’d love to hear from you. Who knows, next year you could be in line for one of our awards.”

Halesowen shop manager Lisa Kimberley said: “James is very passionate about working for The Salvation Army and knows a great deal about the charity. He volunteers most weeks, often giving his time on a full-time basis to help our shop to achieve its potential.

"He not only supports at Halesowen, but he also helps at our other shops within the loca area when they are short of staff.

She added: “James is somewhat of a shop celebrity, and he’s often asked after by customers when he’s not around. He provides the selection of music mixes in the shop, which creates a lovely atmosphere – customers have even been known to dance around in the shop, such is their delight at the choice of music.

" James never fails to remember that an army marches on its stomach too, and on many mornings, he’ll arrive early to prepare tea, coffee and toast for his fellow colleagues and volunteers!”

James is a volunteer key holder, which means that he is responsible for opening and closing the shop in Lisa’s absence. Of that, Lisa said: “the shop could simply not function without James.”