23 Oct Tomorrow, Torbay’s first Community Champion Awards takes place…

Tomorrow, we find out who are the overall winners of the Torbay Community Champion Awards.

We had a staggering 180 nominations from people wishing to celebrate efforts above and beyond made by volunteers and workers in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector (VCSE)

A panel of judges from across the Bay spent many hours sifting through the nominations before coming up with three (and in one case, the choice was so difficult, four) finalists for each of the nine categories.

Just getting nominated is praise indeed, and those individuals should be rightly proud that someone has taken the time and trouble to put their names forward.

However, there can only be one overall winner in each category, and all finalists will be treated to cream tea at the Redcliffe Hotel in Paignton when they are revealed.

The enthusiasm for the award has been heartening, with sponsors from the private and statutory sectors queueing up to back the awards, so much so that we are already predicting that it will become an annual event.

In the Carer of the Year category, we were looking for someone who improves the life of an individual or group of people through their helpfulness, compassion and support and they are represented by finalists Georgina Page, Rachael Noad and Kevin Helmore.

To find the Climate and Environment Champion of the Year, we have been looking for someone who dedicates their time to caring for their local environment, takes part in environmental protection projects, champions a sustainability programme, or takes part in any other volunteer activity that supports the environment and the winner will be selected from Cricketfield Community Garden, Megan Hart and Play Torbay.

In the Emergency Worker of the Year category, we have chosen someone who strives to keep their communities safe by providing emergency services, safety awareness, and training, or who is involved in an activity that enhances safety or protects their communities in emergencies. The finalists are Angie Manning, Paul Northey and Jackie Williams.

Everyone needs a good neighbour and whilst they came to the fore during the COVID crisis there are those who don’t need a pandemic to step up and always strive to make sure there is a place for everyone in their local community and is devoted to helping those who live around them, and we have selected three finalists, Jess Gane, Mervyn Brooking and Pauline Baker.

Communities are also made stronger by people who champion Health and Wellbeing including those who provide support for people with additional needs or disabilities, support an organisation that advocates for those with certain illnesses or conditions, provide activities for people with disabilities or long-term illnesses and we have three finalists in the frame – Bryan Pitman, Cycle Torbay and the Youth Mental Health Foundation.

The Volunteer of the Year is someone who has shown commitment, passion, and care for their volunteering and has made a significant difference to their volunteer cause and the community at large. Step forward Zara Oldfield, Nicola Parham, Barbara Sutton and Carol Pearson.

Sometimes though, it takes a team of volunteers to make a real difference in their community or an organisation. Finalists this year are the H.M. Torbay Coastguard Rescue Team, Phoenix Rising and the Torquay United Supporters’ Trust.

The judges were impressed by how young people are when they embark on their volunteering journey and we have selected three wonderful finalists who have done just that, Lucy Harvey, Abbi Hall and Leighton-Rose Jarrett.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who have made their work or volunteering in the community a life’s work and judging by the large number of nominations there are lots of them from a wide range of organisations and all have done their bit over many years to improve the lives of people living in the Bay. The finalists are Pat Goss, Louise Gilson, Norman McNamara and Eileen Deacon.

The final award the judges have left to the community to decide at the event on Thursday. It will be up to the room to decide who should become the Community Champion 2024 – the person who has shown commitment, passion and care for their volunteering or work and made a significant difference to their cause and the community at large.

Next week, I will reveal the overall winners and provide a little bit more about them.