‘That was amazing – How Sheffield Wednesday star helped inspire Owls teammate

Last week the Owl was named as the English Football League’s Player in the Community at the EFL Awards in London, becoming the first player to win it three times – as well as doing it at three different clubs.

The former Rotherham United and Cardiff City man has been working with the likes of Bluebell Wood for some time now, but it was his work with the Baton of Hope – who raise awareness around suicide – that was particularly recognised this time around.

For Vaulks it was something very personal given that his family have sadly been affected by suicide through the loss of his grandads – and he says that it is an ‘amazing’ charity to be involved in.

“It means a lot to receive the award,” he told the club. “It’s not why you do these things to receive an award but it’s nice to get recognition for raising awareness for things that mean a lot to me… I think there has always been a cause close to my heart along my playing career and this one (Baton of Hope) this year has meant the most to me I think.

“The Baton of Hope was something I stumbled across by chance with the club. They were doing a great thing having the Talk Club and then I met Mike McCarthy – again a chance meeting – and we just so happened to both be bereaved by suicide.

“I felt it was right to kind of dive in and go for it and I really do want to raise awareness for the Baton of Hope because it really is an amazing charity.”

His influence is rubbing off, too, and club captain, Barry Bannan, says that he was inspired by his teammate to delve deeper into community work, something that led to him raising tens of thousands of pounds for The Children's Hospital Charity in Sheffield recently.

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Speaking to The Star after his event, the Owls skipper explained, “I’d seen before when he was at Cardiff and Rotherham, the work that’s done. Years ago when I was at Bluebell Wood he was well spoken of there by the people there - that was while he was at Rotherham - and I followed his story a little bit. I remember seeing something on the news in Sheffield one day where he’d come back from Cardiff because he had been away from Bluebell Wood - and was there to spend the day with a little boy. I just thought that was amazing.

“So when he came to our club I asked him questions about it, and wanted to know what he was doing and the success he was having with it. That’s when I decided to do my own bit, and with two lovely kids of my own the Children’s Hospital is one that stuck out for me. I reached out to them, and we spoke, and we’ve been working together for over a year and a half now - and I’m loving it.”