Awards honour volunteers who make a difference

The Making a Difference awards, sponsored by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council recognise and celebrate the contribution that volunteers play in strengthening the community and improving the quality of the life for residents.

Councillor Michael Mullaney, Executive Member for Community Safety, said:

Reading the nominations for the Making a Difference Awards was a privilege, and everyone nominated deserves to be applauded for the work that they do to support our community.

These awards recognise contributions from some of the many individuals and groups who work tirelessly to assist others who may be more vulnerable or less fortunate. The nominees also provide activities and opportunities to make life more enjoyable and inclusive for all people, to improve the appearance of our borough, and to help all of our neighbours.

There were six individual categories and five group categories and the Mayor of Hinckley and Bosworth, Councillor Scott Gibbens presented the following awards.

Awards for Creating a sense of Community (Individuals) were made to:

• Matthew Bray (has created a friendship group called Hinckley Social Group)
• Alan Davies (awarded for serving his local community in Twycross and the surrounding area in many ways, including as a Parish Councillor)
• Alan Plumpton (works closely with Barwell Medical Centre and the Hinckley and Bosworth Medical Alliance Ltd as a patient representative, and is organiser of Barwell & Hollycroft Surgery Telephone Befriending Group)
• Chris Whitby and Eleanor Graff–Baker (the couple have volunteered to support numerous village events in Peckleton)
• Angelia Welding (has volunteered for many years at the community houses in the borough)
• Anne Briggs (volunteers at Hinckley’s St John’s church each week and cooks for lots of other churches in Hinckley)  
• Eileen Hemsley (involved in numerous community and voluntary organisations in Barwell and Earl Shilton)
• Faye Clarke (inspirational in bringing elderly and vulnerable people together at the weekly Elohim Church Lunch Club for many years)
• Joanne McGlynn (volunteers at the community houses offering craft groups and also a men’s cooking group)
• Rose Blayney (Rose's late husband was in the Army and Rose now raises funds for Help for Heroes)
• Rosie Robinson (volunteers at the community library in Ratby)
• Amanda Robson (volunteers to support Fenny Drayton’s village church, creating decorations for special events and celebrations at the church)

Awards for Creating a sense of community (Groups) were:

• All Little Ones Meet (a group of local mums who have created a sense of community for parents within Hinckley and the surrounding areas)
• Aspect Editorial Team (have produced the Community Magazine for Market Bosworth for 50 years)
• Burbage Patient Participation Group (hold a monthly coffee morning to support the elderly who have lost touch with family and friends due to the pandemic)
• Desford in Bloom 
• Desford Loves (made up of several residents who organise the Desford Scarecrow Festival)
• Earl Shilton Community Allotment
• Groby Sings (a group who help support the mental health and wellbeing of people by providing a safe space to learn to sing and perform in concerts)
• Hinckley Mencap
• Hinckley Town Tennis Club
• St Margaret’s Church Flower Festival Committee
• Twycross Village Hall Management Committee

Awards for Contributing to our local heritage, culture and tourism (individuals) were:

• Sylvia Whitworth (a founder member of Burbage Heritage Group and gives talks to organisations and school children about the history of the village)
• Peter Loseby (an active supporter of the Market Bosworth community for many years, and part of the working party that delivered the Richard III event)

Awards for Contributing to our local heritage, culture and tourism (groups) were:

• Hijaz Trust (produced an exhibition on His Eminence Murshid Muhammad Abdul Wahab Siddiqi, an Islamic scholar and spiritual leader who was re-interred in a specially made tomb at the Hijaz College he founded in Nuneaton)
• Market Bosworth Society (celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year. Over the past few years the Market Bosworth Society has been able to share invaluable historical information with not just Market Bosworth but the public at large thanks to projects including Bosworth Links and publishing guide books

Awards for Inspirational Volunteer (individuals) were:

• Robert Quiney (set up the Markfield Defibrillator Project. Markfield now has 11 defibrillators) 
• Sinclair Dowe (inspiring young swimmers at Hinckley swimming club)
• Steve Dowell (a group Scout Leader at 1st Newbold Verdon and Deputy commissioner for Leicestershire Scouts)
• Alison Bates (collects unwanted food from supermarkets every day and lays it out in the village of Stoke Golding for anyone to collect)
• Diana Morgan (on the management committee of Hinckley Homeless for many years and Chair for the last six years)
• Heather Luckman (supports people to go for weekly walks, carrying on from the volunteering she did during the pandemic)
• Fiona Caton (volunteers for the Hinckley and District group of the Multiple Sclerosis Society)
• Reg Green (posthumous award, Reg sadly passed away in August but has been connected to Green Towers Hinckley Club 4 Young people from its inception)

Awards for Inspirational volunteer (groups) were:

• 12th Hinckley Guides
• Bee Unique Youth Project
• Markfield Community Library
• The Meadows Community Centre, Burbage

Awards for Keeping People Safe and Well were:

• Tony Evans (instrumental in the success of AFC Barwell)

Awards for Protecting, Supporting and Improving our Environment (individuals) were:

• Lucy Shilton (litter picks around the borough, focusing on Markfield, Bagworth and Thornton)

Awards for Protecting, Supporting and Improving our Environment (groups) were:

• Hinckley Fixers (work in and around Hinckley to help people fix households appliances and other items that would otherwise be sent to landfill)
• Sport in Desford

Awards for Young Volunteers (individuals) were:

• Callum Summer (Callum is a qualified referee and can be found refereeing on Sunday mornings around Leicestershire.  Callum is also currently volunteering with AFC Barwell)

Awards for Young Volunteers (groups) were:

• The Young Volunteers, Green Towers Youth Club. (This group of six young volunteers aged between 15 and 17 regularly give up their free time to facilitate fun activities at the Green Towers Youth club)