Winners of the South Norfolk Community Awards 2020 announced

This year’s virtual event saw the winners of each award revealed throughout the day on the council’s social media channels, by Chairman Graham Minshull.

Councillor Minshull said:

“This has been a difficult year for all of us, and the importance of community spirit has never been more apparent.

“It was a real honour to reveal to each of our winners that they had won their respective awards and take the opportunity to thank them for their incredible work, supporting communities across South Norfolk.”

James Francis, CEO of Saffron, said:

“We were extremely proud to be part of this year’s awards. It was held in a different way due to the pandemic, but it was still fantastic to provide an opportunity to celebrate the people in our communities who have gone above and beyond for others.

“Hearing their stories was a very humbling experience and I would like to thank everyone who was nominated for the valuable work they do, and congratulations to the winners.”

The winners of this year’s awards each received £250 for the community group of their choice, a bunch of flowers and an afternoon tea from Spooncake.

The winners are:

Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by Wiltshire Farm Foods
Winner - Linda White
Linda has nominated for her work with the Miniature Donkeys for Wellbeing, always coming up with innovative ideas to support and interact with residents in care homes.

Young Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by Saffron Housing Trust
Winner - Oliver Gregory
Oliver raised funds for the NICU team at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. He showed determination to use his skills and bring others onboard to support his fund-raising efforts.

Community Group of the Year, sponsored by Saffron Housing Trust
Winner - Hethersett Hearts
This community group’s determination has made a huge impact in their community. They spotted a gap in support their community and branched out, seeking to tackle loneliness in their local area.

Community Fundraiser of the Year, sponsored by Saffron Housing Trust
Winner - Sian Barker
Sian has organised a range of successful, fun and engaging fundraising activities for Queen’s Hill Primary School, enabling them to purchase much needed resources.

Business Community Champion of the Year, sponsored by Pub is the Hub
Winner - The Bird in Hand, Wreningham
The Bird in Hand supported the community during lockdown. When things got tough, they stepped up to find new ways to support their community.

Community Wellbeing Champion of the Year, sponsored by Orbit Homes
Winner - John Hodgson
John volunteers for the Poringland First Responders and has taken up a new role of Welfare Coordinator for First Responders across the whole county.

Environmental Champion of the Year, sponsored by Smurfit Kappa
Winner - Diss Volunteer Group of The River Waveney Trust
The group have been working tirelessly to turn disused and neglected land into a valuable community space that benefits and improves the local environment.

Lifetime Community Hero of the Year, sponsored by Saffron Housing
Winner - Elisabeth Louis
Elisabeth’s years of work with the Hope Community Church, Wymondham have seen her become a true ‘pillar of the community’. She is dependable and the first port of call for others in times of genuine hardship.

Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Saffron Housing
Winner - Connor Root
Six year old Connor’s sponsored bike ride saw him cycle more than 100 miles and raise over £8,000 for Banham Zoom.