CITIZENS who go above and beyond the call of duty have been honoured at a special awards ceremony.
Hosted by Woodley Town Council last Friday, the awards were given to people nominated by residents to thank them for their contribution to the town.
The first to receive an award was Bill Rodda, who was nominated to recognise his commitment to local football during the last 20 years, both as a manager and coach and his significant contribution to create Woodley United, of which he has been president since 2015.
Accepting the award, which was presented by Woodley Town Mayor Sam Rahmouni, Bill commented: “Thank you Colum [Moon] for your kind words. It all started back in 1998 when I took my son to Woodley Hammers football club and it has grown from there. I’d also like to thank Woodley Town Council for hosting these awards and recognising individuals in Woodley.”
Sue Twose was next to be awarded for her endless generosity and kindness to neighbours and local Woodley residents, offering a helping hand or support when needed. Sue thanked everyone for the award, as presented by Mayor Rahmouni.
Jackie Yule received her Citizen’s Award for generously giving her time to Highwood Primary School for over 15 years, focusing on developing the library, including generous donations of books. Accepting the award from Mayor Rahmouni, Jackie said: “Thank you for such an unexpected award for something I love doing.”
The final honour was the Mayor’s Award and was given to Colin Lott for the generous time and effort he has put into fundraising for various charities over the last 40 years.
Mayor Rahmouni also commended Colin for fundraising for the War Memorial, which was erected in the Memorial Recreation Ground in Woodley.
Accepting the award, Colin commented: “Thank you everyone. I love Woodley and enjoy fundraising for the community. I would like to thank everyone who worked with me to raise funds for the War Memorial and it was wonderful to see over 3,000 attend the commemoration service last year at the Memorial to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.”
Following the awards, a raffle was held to raise funds for the Reading, Wokingham and Districts branch of the MS Society; the Mayor’s chosen charity for 2019.
