Meet the Pride in Fenland winners for 2020
Inspiring volunteers and groups who go the extra mile to support their communities were celebrated last night (Tuesday) at the 13th annual Pride in Fenland Awards.
The event, which was held online for the very first time, honoured the incredible contributions of unsung heroes from across the district.
The 2020 ceremony was due to be held in Wisbech St Mary Community Centre in March last year, with civic dignitaries, nominees and their families in attendance.
But with COVID-19 restrictions continuing, Fenland District Council and the Fenland Citizen took the ceremony online to ensure the achievements of local people in 2019 and early 2020 didn’t go unrecognised.
The winners were announced on the council’s YouTube channel yesterday and can be watched back here: https://youtu.be/FOnisbz83dE
This year’s 2021 Pride in Fenland awards will be entirely dedicated to those who have gone above and beyond throughout the COVID-19 crisis, with nominations to be opened in the coming months – so watch this space!
Last night’s awards were presented by Councillor Susan Wallwork, portfolio holder for communities, and Councillor Sam Clark, portfolio holder for social housing and leisure, with the Judges’ Special Award presented by Jeremy Ransome, editor for the Fenland Citizen.
Coun Wallwork said: “The standard of nominations was outstanding, making the judges’ task of choosing winners and runners-up particularly difficult! There were so many inspiring stories of people devoting countless hours to their communities, often without any recognition. Their efforts and dedication truly make Fenland a better place.”
Coun Clark added: “We know that voluntary efforts in Fenland are outstanding and our Pride in Fenland awards demonstrate this year after year. Holding the 2020 awards online has meant that these efforts won’t be forgotten due to COVID, and that even more people will be able to enjoy the ceremony.”
Volunteering in the Community
The first category to be awarded was that for Volunteering in the Community.
This is always the most well supported category and a testament to how much volunteering is carried out by individuals not part of any groups.
And this year was no different, it was once again hotly contested with judges having a difficult job to pick a winner and runner-up from among so many worthy nominees.
As with all the categories, each and every nominee deserved recognition in their own right, but there was one who stood out from the rest - Margaret Bird.
Margaret has been helping out with her community for many, many years. She has turned her hand to a variety of different activities, but all with the common theme of helping the residents and community of her village, Wimblington.
In no particular order she has volunteered at Doddington Hospital shop for 20 years, she has volunteered for the Wimblington Community Car Scheme for 10 years, been been the District Commissioner for the Girl Guides and is still active in the organisation and going for badges.
She is a remarkable woman is the deserved winner of the Volunteer in the Community category.
Runner-up for this category was Stephen Short. Although originally from Manea, Stephen now lives in Wales, but that does not deter him from continuing to be one of the driving forces behind many of the village’s big events from the hugely successful annual gala to the Christmas Fayre and Santa on his sleigh at Christmas. Making the 240 mile journey from his home in West Wales to help with the organisation and planning.
Young Person of the Year
Fenland Councillor Sam Clark stepped up to present the Young Person of the Year Award, which also hotly contested.
Coun Clark said: “I am closely involved in the youth clubs in my ward, and see the many ways that young people can contribute to our local communities. It is a great pleasure to hear about the positive contributions made by the young people of Fenland.”
Winner in this category was Billy Cunningham, from Wisbech, who was nominated by PCSO Sue Clarke.
Bill chose to become a Police Cadet despite knowing he would probably experience some negativity from his peers and his community because he is a Traveller and is incredibly proud of his heritage.
But he decided that the best way to change people’s opinions was from a positive position and he has become a real asset to the Volunteer Police Cadets of Cambridgeshire Constabulary. So much so that he is doing something truly incredible; he is voluntarily going into a police cell with no access to any technology for 12 hours to raise money for the police charity which supports officers and their families that have been injured or killed in their line of duty.
Runner-up in this category was Jade Merson, who was nominated by Gemma Adams, for her dedication to running the Wisbech Sea Cadets, which she does on a purely voluntary basis while working and being a mum to a young daughter. She undertakes charity fundraising throughout the year and always puts the needs of others before her own.
Group, Club or Organisation benefiting the Community
There are many outstanding voluntary groups in Fenland whose purpose benefits a rich diversity of communities across the district and the Group, Club or Organisation benefitting the Community category recognises those groups.
Once again there were some exceptional entries for this award, which made the judges’ job a difficult one.
But the winning group outshone the others.
The Friday Group, which meets weekly at Salem Court in Chatteris, provides a valuable support network for sufferers of dementia and their families.
They offer stimulating activities, entertainment and above all friendship when people need it most.
Carers have the choice to stay and join in or to leave, knowing their loved one is in safe hands.
The group is run entirely by volunteers who all have experience of helping people with dementia and their families.
The judges felt The Friday Group, which is run by Mike Hill, chairman and Ann chambers, secretary, with a group of volunteers, richly deserved the award.
A group of young people who have gone the ‘extra mile’ to make a difference to vulnerable people in the community were worthy runners-up.
Since they started CHAT-TEA they have secured funding to convert the old kitchen in St John’s Church in March, which was in a very poor state, into a facility that provides training and equipment and has resulted in a five star rating from the council’s Environmental Health.
The group is striving to help more and people who could be experiencing food poverty or isolation anxiety.
Sports in the Community
The Sports in the Community category this year saw some truly exceptional individuals being nominated who give up their spare time to enable communities to come together and participate in sporting activities.
This made the task of choosing the runner up and winner very difficult. So difficult in fact, that the judges have decided that there should be two runners up awards.
The first is someone who goes the extra mile to help ensure the many Manea football teams can play every weekend. Tim Clifford not only coaches, finds grant funding and attends meetings, he also marks out the pitches all in his own time and all for the benefit of the community, and he has been doing this for a number of years.
The second runner up is for a very popular sports club that has been operating in Fenland for some time. Ernie’s Amateur Boxing Club is open three nights a week to a range of different age groups and can boast award winners as well as being able to regularly stage shows and demonstrations for the community. It is hard to believe that this all started when one person decided to convert their own garage.
Ernie’s Amateur Boxing club has been helping keep young people off the streets and into the ring for many years and under Ernie’s stewardship hopefully they will continue to do so for many years to come.
The winner is Les Mills in recognition of his outstanding commitment to his club and the local community over a long period of time. Les has been part of March Town Cricket Club for many years, in a variety of different capacities.
He has ensured that the club is seen as one big family, while also reaching out to members of the community to offer sporting opportunities. He has been responsible for the popular three-day sports festival for young people that takes place every summer, culminating in an awards evening where every participant is rewarded for their attendance. He has also organised a T20 event day to encourage children and their families to get involved in sport together. Les’s reputation goes far beyond the boundaries of the club, and it is for this reason judges named him the winner of the Sports in the Community award, sponsored by Freedom Leisure.
Judges Special Award
A woman who has dedicated her time to ensure a Fenland town has life-saving equipment and has also introduced mass testing of young people for heart conditions was this year’s winner of the Special Judges prize, sponsored by this paper.
Deborah Slater, who set up Defibs for All in Whittlesey nearly seven years ago with the aim of ensuring no-one in the town was more than three minutes away from a life-saving defibrillator, was nominated by Charlotte Garner,
She has worked tirelessly to fundraise to buy the essential equipment, as well as to fund the testing of young people, and to train people in how to use the defibs.
Her example has inspired other towns to follow suit and provide publicly accessible defibs in as many places as possible.
Runner-up Carol Turner, from Ponders Bridge, was nominated not once but eight times by a variety of people for her dedication to the village.
Despite sadly suffering from her own serious health issues, she remains the ‘heart and soul’ of the community always willing to help others wherever possible.
The award was presented by Fenland Citizen editor Jeremy Ransome.
He said: “It is a honour to present this award to such a worthy winner. It was a difficult choice as there have been so many incredible nominees this year and it is fair to say I was impressed by them all.
“I would definitely urge people to submit nominations for the Pride in Fenland Awards 2021 when they open - watch this space for when that will happen.”
