VOLUNTEERS from across the Warrington were honoured during the first ever Mayoral Achievement Awards held at Warrington town hall.
Hosted by the Mayor Cllr Faisal Rashid, the awards honoured local people whose heroic work is helping to transform lives. Dozens of nominations were received from the public.
The event is the first of three to be held during the Mayor’s year in office, and focused on the work of Warrington’s wonderful volunteers and community champions. A further two awards events will be held later in the Mayor’s tenure, focusing on local sports and performing arts stars and young entrepreneurs.
Those honoured included two very special volunteers, Su Williams from Lymm and Nora Carlin from Appleton Thorn, who were presented with ‘Lifetime Achievement Awards’ by the Mayor.
Su is a hardworking volunteer with a huge list of activities, including being a school PTA member, receiving the Anne Frank award for services to prison education, setting up an art garden project, supporting a village in Sierra Leone, helping to set up the Lymm Food Festival and raising many thousands of pounds for charity. She has even found the time to launch a junior youth club.
Nora – who received a large number of nominations for her work to set up a group to collect and sort donations to help refugees. Her organisational skills have brought together a large band of volunteers who work together to support some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Nora also finds time to devote considerable efforts to the improvement of Appleton Thorn Village.
Other big winners on the night, receiving a special Mayoral plaque, were:
Roger Sinnott (Wonderful Volunteer category) – a voluntary member of the five Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust’s equality, diversity & inclusion team – whose hard work and IT expertise helps capture carers’ experiences, and drive forward service improvements.
Ian Buttress (Community Champion category) – who has been involved with Warrington Sports Club for almost 50 years. He has had many roles, including secretary and chairman, and is currently club president. He is also involved with junior cricket at Warrington Cricket club, helping make it the envy of many other clubs throughout Cheshire.
The Mayor’s runners-up, receiving a civic memento, were:
Patrick Brierley (Wonderful Volunteer category) – a teenage air cadet, who was awarded the Lord Lieutenant’s Merit award in 2015 for services to the organisation. He has raised funds and set up a squadron band and is described as a committed and hardworking young man who is an inspiration to others.
Carolyn Wright (Community Champion category) – chair of the Warrington Cancer Research group, who begin her tireless work after losing her sister to cancer and then having to deal with her father-in-law and four-year-old son also having the disease. She has helped raise over £13,000 in the group’s first year.
The Mayor said: “I was honoured to be in the presence of so many community champions and volunteers at this special event. They are all inspirational and real assets to our community.
“I’d like to congratulate everyone who was nominated for the first Mayor’s Achievement Awards. If your name was put forward, it means you are doing valuable work which is making a difference to people.
“There is so much potential in our town and so many unsung heroes. That’s why I’m delighted these awards are under way, to give these people the recognition they deserve. After such a successful evening, I’m looking forward to the next two awards events and I’m hopeful that we will continue to honour local people in this way for many years to come.”
The Mayor has now officially opened nominations for his second Mayoral Achievement Awards, which will focus on ‘Sports and Performing Arts’. The closing date for nominations is 30 November, and the winners will be announced by the Mayor on 27 January 2017. To nominate someone, complete an online form by visiting www.warrington.gov.uk and typing ‘Mayor’s Achievement Awards’ into the search box.
The full list of nominees (all received a Mayoral certificate):
• Nicholas Antrobus
• Dr Vijay Bansal
• Sue Blyth
• Lee Bradbury
• Phil Chadwick
• Ciaran’s Cause – Marika & Cheryl
• Norman Cutter
• Hilda Dutton
• Daphne Eastburn
• Michael Friel
• Kate Gilbody
• Susan Haimes
• Matthew Hansley
• Tony Higgins
• William Hill
• Moazzam Hussain
• Ben Inman
• Lisa Jefferies
• Eddie Johnson
• Margaret Johnson
• Sue Jones
• Patsy Kelly
• Steve Marran
• Andrea Peers
• Jean Pownall
• Amy Riley
• Neil Samuel
• Gail Stubbings
• John Stubbings
• Mike Titchard
• Sally Ann Twist
• Liz Webster
• Danny Wheatley
• Alan Williams
• Aled Williams
• Bruce Williams
• Amanda Wilson
• Sagheer Zaman
