THE BEST in Wokingham was celebrated with a special virtual ceremony last week, as coronavirus put paid to the real thing.
Wokingham Town Mayor Cllr Tony Lack introduced the proceedings of the Civic Awards, broadcast live over the internet on Friday night.
The event marks individuals who have undertaken outstanding community service in Wokingham town, or shown civic mindedness, personal courage, or service to family or community that is above and beyond the ordinary.
Each of the winners are nominated by residents, and these entries are judged by a selection panel including members of Wokingham Town Council’s Civic Committee and the High Steward of Woking-ham, Lucy Zeal. Woking-ham.Today editor Phil Creighton is also part of the panel.
Cllr David Lee, who chairs Wokingham Town Council’s civic committee, was delighted with the quality of entries.
“Usually these people quietly carry on these good works in an unassuming way without seeking recognition or reward and bring untold happiness to so many of our residents from running youth groups, out of school activities to simply quietly helping others and I am delighted that they are recognised by their friends and colleagues by putting their names forward for an award.
“We have so many dedicated and selfless people running and helping these organisations on a day to day basis and it is a great honour to recognise some of these individuals each year through the Civic Awards ceremony.”
He felt that volunteering can bring more rewards than money can achieve and people would really enjoy it.
“If you want any help in finding opportunities contact Wokingham Town Hall and we will put you in touch; make 2021 the year to get involved.”
And Cllr Lack, who was joined for the ceremony by his wife Clare, said that the awards were one of the highlights of his year.
“It is when we recognise great people for doing great things for the greater good of our community and our chance to say thank you to those who have been recognised for going above and beyond in their charitable activities,” he said.
“Usually these awards are made to say Thank You to those who have made a big difference over a long period of time. But as expected this year includes Covid-19 supporters too.”
The winners
Ian Grange: Nominated by Nigel Page and Andy Goffin for his contribution to keeping Wokingham entertained in lockdown with on-line quizzes.
Ian is a key member of Wokingham Lions Club and well-known planner and contributor to the many charitable events within the Town. As Chair of the Wokingham Lions May Fayre committee and an active member of the Lions fundraising team (involved in the Wokingham Walk, Winter Carnival, Wokingham Fireworks, Easter egg raffle, themed nights, comedy nights, and quizzes), Ian dedicates much thought, time and effort into making each and every event a success.
With the country and town experiencing its first lockdown, Ian created the Great #Woky Pub Quiz to boost morale, provide family-friendly entertainment for all ages, and raise money for local charities overstretched by the pandemic. Some of the charities that have benefited so far are: The Wokingham Hub, Me2, The Ollie Young Foundation, Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service and Berkshire Vision and The Link Visiting Scheme.
Ian attracted around 250 teams to the weekly quizzes, many from the local area. Some teams included extended families in other parts of the UK, Canada and the USA. This really brought families together at a difficult period of separation. Thursday nights became the Great #Woky Pub Quiz night; something that was talked about, looked forward to, that provided respite from the new daily life and a laugh or two along the way.
Jan Lonnon: Nominated by Annette Medhurst and Rev Hannah Higginson for her contribution to Wokingham Foodbank.
Jan works at every level within Wokingham Foodbank from interacting with residents at the front desk to helping run the operation as Assistant Manager, as a Trustee and Treasurer. The Foodbank feeds and signposts thousands of people every year, ensuring that no one in Wokingham goes hungry and that people know where and how to find help in the event of financial crisis. Jan’s passion, dedication and understanding of the entire operation together with prudent financial management means that she is integral to the smooth running of the organisation and valued colleague to all who work there.
Jan is often in the background, but through her work and compassion, has made an outstanding contribution to the Wokingham community.
Kenneth Rowlands: Nominated by Stephen Newton and John Griffin for his contribution to his work with our Town Centre and Evendons Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG).
Ken Rowlands is Wokingham born and bred. Kenneth has been serving the community in many guises over the years. From the basics of being a good neighbour and knowing almost everyone around his home area through to his current role as Chairman of the Wokingham Town and Evendons Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) where he works with the Police, Council and other town groups. Kenneth’s huge local knowledge, dedication to his community and desire to keep not just his own local area but Wokingham town centre as areas that meet resident needs is to be commended. Kenneth works selflessly in pursuit of his aim to help preserve and enhance the environment for all to enjoy.
Lyn Baily: Nominated by Jean Ibotson and Lyndsey Browne for her contribution to Wokingham Lions and First Days
As President of Wokingham Lions Club and formerly Community Services leader, Lyn has been instrumental in securing financial support and essential household items such as beds, washing machines, carpets and curtains etc. wherever needed during the pandemic.
Lyn is kind, empathetic and sees the best in everyone, giving 100% to everything she does. Lyn is committed to helping young people succeed in life and has set up a new Lions Youth Programme to encourage young people to get involved in the community.
Lyn is also passionate about School Days by First Days, a project set up to support low income and struggling families across Wokingham by providing pre-loved school uniform to children aged 4-16.
Since the project commenced in 2018, in excess of 670 children have benefitted from the project and Lyn’s commitment and dedication collecting, sorting, washing and distributing pre-loved uniform has played a huge part in ensuring this project has been successful.
Michael Saynor: Nominated by Colin Mehuish and Barbara Stagles for his contribution to Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers
Michael has been a member of The Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers (HCCV) for 16 years and chairman/joint coordinator of the group for 12 years. His work, firstly as a volunteer member then as chairman, has enabled the group to grow and flourish whilst raising people’s awareness of the value and importance of the natural world.
Michael has been the driving force behind many of the group’s initiatives to improve Holt Copse for the benefit of wildlife and residents of Wokingham.
Not just content with his contribution to Holt Copse, Michael is always willing to share his knowledge and experience with other local groups and is an active committee member of Wokingham in Bloom as well.
Many of Michael’s projects have benefited not just users of Holt Copse and Joel Park but the wildlife too. His projects include: improving access to Holt Copse by renovating the footpaths and wooden footbridges, restoring the historic avenue of red oak trees in Joel Park, and providing educational wildlife information signs throughout The Copse.
Rob and Sue Hughes: Nominated by Patrick Pritchett and Jane Aust for their contribution to Evendons School and Wokingham Young Carers
Both Rob and Sue are well-known at Evendons Primary School. As volunteers and grandparents of children there, they are selfless and generous with the gift of their time. Their compassion shines through and their approach to projects, tasks and problems is ‘Yes…we can do that’.
Both Rob and Sue are timetabled on a weekly basis and are very much part of the team and the staff and children benefit greatly from their involvement in school life. Sue has led the walking bus for many years throughout all seasons has been part of fund raising for the school’s sports court which has benefitted staff, children and local community groups.
As the school’s resident engineer, Rob has designed games, bridges, rockets, a large scale build it yourself dinosaur skeleton, go karts, welly racks, bug houses, pulley system and many more things all to help explain the mechanisms or to link with the curriculum.
Rob also works with young Carers through the Rotary Club, He works on a weekly basis often having spent many hours devising engineering activities that the young carers will enjoy.
Sheila McKeand: Nominated by Pauline MacBrayne and Lynda Petley for her contribution to Wokingham Horticultural Association
Sheila has been a dedicated member of WHA for many years and willingly commits time and energy to various projects.
All members of the Wokingham Horticultural Association (WHA) benefit from Sheila’s commitment. She is a well-known figure on the management committee and has held many posts over the years including Show Secretary and Membership Secretary.
She has inspired and helped others to take an interest in horticulture, which has not only benefitted their mental well-being but those around them too.
Sheila was responsible for the Sow a Seed kits which were included with food parcels distributed by the local hub to vulnerable people and families in Wokingham, and was instrumental in creating the Ormonde Road garden room.
The garden room was first used in June 2020 as a Tentative Steps Cafe to assist those cautiously coming out of shielding/self-isolating who needed a safe and serene space to socialise. The spring and summer horticultural shows bring a lot of joy to many people and rather than cancel, Sheila worked with others to take the show online.
Sheila appreciates the health benefits of gardening and is keen to share her love of horticulture with all age groups and encouraged curiosity in the next generation of young gardeners. As well as leading the bulletin team providing a focus for local gardeners, Sheila helps run the Trading Store.
She is a listening ear, compassionate and helpful to those who visit, some of whom are lonely at weekends when other clubs are closed.
