Proud of Bucks Awards

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Since the new unitary authority, Buckinghamshire Council took power in April 2020, sixteen Community Boards have been representing the larger body at local level. Every year, they make awards to Local Champions to recognise and applaud outstanding community contribution carried out by local volunteers. 

On Saturday 1 July a small group gathered in the beautiful surroundings of Lindengate to give the awards for the Wendover and Villages Area. The awards are sponsored by The Clare Foundation, represented on this occasion by Helen Mee. The Chair of Wendover and Villages Community Board was Cllr Mike Collins who was also handing over responsibility to Cllr Steve Bowles. chair of Buckinghamshire Council, Cllr Patricia Birchley handed out the awards. Thank you to The Bel and Dragon, Rumsey’s, Costa Coffee and No 1 High Steet for providing the prizes for the award ceremony.

Local Community Champion
an individual (aged 21+) who has made a clear and positive impact in their local community.

 

 

Runner up: Debbie Jones, a Calibre audio library volunteer, on the Buckinghamshire election provision team and  continues to care for her neighbours as she did before and during lockdown.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner: Jane Gardiner, Beaver Scout Leader in Aston Clinton. She and her husband also run the Aston Clinton Repair Cafe in St Michael’s Church which supports the building repair fund. Jane is treasurer of the Aston Clinton Society and organises weekly litter picks, especially for aluminium cans!

 

 

 

Young Community Champion
for a young person (under age 21) who has made a clear and positive impact in their local community or towards their peers.

Runner up: Ryan Hobbs – Vice-Chair of the county-wide Youth Voice forum.
In this role, he has championed the voice of young people in diverse and often challenging environments. Ryan also works and volunteers with Wendover Youth Club and Aylesbury Youth Club respectively, thereby helping to keep these important spaces for young people open through direct action. He is a champion for LGBTQ+ rights and celebrations, and is currently looking to establish a working group for young members of this community and allies for Buckinghamshire.

 

 

 

 

Winner: jointly Theo Gardiner and Rhys Winfield,
Young Leaders for Aston Clinton Beaver Scouts, boys having been Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and now Explorers. They have given reliable support to the Scouting Movement for many years. 

 

 

 

 

Community Group Contribution
recognises and celebrates a group in the community board area who has made a clear and positive impact on the community

 

 

Runner up: The Rhubarb Café, Aston Clinton run by Natalie Fieldhouse.
A safe space with a warm welcome for people of all ages on Monday afternoons. It includes a children’s corner.

 

 

 

 

Winner: Wendover News, edited by Jane Larkham. This resource promotes local events, community projects and groups in Wendover and the surrounding villages.It enables locals to know what is going on and when, especially those not able to use computers. As a result, it encourages a sense of community. All the organisations mentioned in this article have appeared in its pages over the years.

 

 

 

A special thank you to Michelle Parker, the manager of the board for organising the event.