South Norfolk Community Awards 2024
Sponsored by Clarion Housing Group
The awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of residents from across the district, who go above and beyond to support others or complete incredible achievements.
All shortlisted nominees were invited along to the awards ceremony at Glen Lodge, and the winner in each category received £250 to give to their chosen community group or voluntary organisation.
The winners:
Young Achiever Award
Sponsored by Bawburgh Golf Club
Kitty Denny
Kitty works tirelessly to support her local hedgehog population, spreading the word among her neighbours by helping them to create hedgehog suitable habitats in their gardens. She also delivers talks on how to better support hedgehogs at local businesses, groups and schools. She has raised hundreds of pounds for The British Hedgehog Preservation Society and Hallswood Animal Sanctuary.
Town or Parish Councillor of the Year
Cllr Mary Dorrell
Mary has been a member of the Barford and Wramplingham Parish Council for well over thirty years, holding the position of Chairman and Vice Chairman for much of her time on the Council. She is well connected in the community and has earned the trust and respect of local people through her devotion to the Parish Council. She is perhaps best known for confronting and working with the authorities to resolve long term surface water flooding in the community, a project which she has almost single handedly championed for over ten years.
Business in the Community Award
Sponsored by Saxon Air
Susan Whymark Funeral Services Ltd
As well as offering unwavering support to bereaved families, Susan and her team also do vital work within their local community. They offer free bereavement and suicide support groups for local residents to chat and support one another. They also help to fund and run community sports and charity events in Harleston.
Environmental Champion Award
Sponsored by McKibbin Management Consultants Ltd
Greening Wymondham
This team of volunteers undertake vital conservation work in various locations around Wymondham, such as Kett’s Park Wood. They have also created a community orchard on Browick Road, providing a green community space full of fruit trees and wildflowers, helping to support biodiversity in the area as well as providing a peaceful and mindful space for residents. The group have also donated a tree to every year six pupil at Wymondham schools as part of their ‘Trees for Schools’ project.
Healthy and Active Award
Sponsored by South Norfolk Leisure
Sue Gilmour
Since moving to Wymondham a few years ago, Sue founded Hoopstars Basketball Club. She volunteers hours of her spare time coaching young people of all ages, encouraging them to do their best and teaching them the importance of teamwork and fairness. Her coaching has seen the team begin to compete at a County level. She also recently set up the Wymondham Panthers Football Team.
Connecting Communities Award
Sponsored by HSBC
Wymondham and Attleborough Talking Newspaper
This team of volunteers are dedicated to keeping blind and partially sighted residents informed. They commission material and record interviews on local interest stories, sharing them with local radio stations and even reproducing them in written form for Wymondham Magazine. The group were also key in establishing and organising the Wymondham Spring Arts Festival, bringing together organisations from across the town to celebrate the arts and community spirit.
Volunteer of the Year
Sponsored Richard Wills Training Associates
Diana Grant
Since moving to Wymondham, Diana has thrown herself into local volunteering, and is described as an ‘absolute driving force’. She organises the volunteers for Wymondham in Bloom, hosting the group for refreshments, and is always checking in on the wellbeing of all who attend. She has also shared her altruistic spirit beyond the group, working with the Heritage Museum, joining the committee for Greening Wymondham, organising open gardens, and becoming the safeguarding lead at Wymondham Abbey.
Community Organisation of the Year
Harleston Information Plus
For over 20 years Harleston Information Plus has been a community hub in the heart of Harleston, supporting and advising locals and visitors alike. They develop their services to respond to local issues; for example, creating the popular weekly ‘Jobs Club’ which helps job seekers search and apply for jobs, providing advice on writing skills and local training courses. They also work closely with charities such as the Waveney Food Bank and provide a befriending service helping to tackle isolation in Harleston.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Sponsored by Clarion Futures
Peter Steward
Peter has been volunteering since the late 1970’s. He has been involved in many events and campaigns in Hethersett, including the campaigning for the London 2012 Olympic flame to be brought through the village. He now spends his time writing the Hethersett Herald, a local, online newspaper dedicated to bringing local news, often omitted by the larger newspapers, to residents of Hethersett.
Pride in Place Award
Sponsored by FMG
The Pride in Place Award recognised an exceptional grantee of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, Pride in Place Community Grant.
The award seeks to highlight the Town or Parish Council or community organisation that has best maximised their grant to build local pride in the place that they live.
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