2017 Community Awards

HIGH SHERIFF OF HAMPSHIRE ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF COMMUNITY AWARDS

The High Sheriff of Hampshire Mr Tom Floyd has announced the 21 recipients receiving commendations for good work in the community. The High Sheriff Awards are a mark of distinction and recognition given to individual volunteers and community groups based in Hampshire who are making a significant contribution to society, with a particular emphasis on safety and cohesion in the community.

The Awards were presented on 15th March at a fitting ceremony held in the Great Hall in Winchester, one of the finest surviving aisled halls of the 13th century containing the greatest symbol of medieval mythology, King Arthur’s Round Table.

Seven individuals and eleven community groups and organisations received certificates to commend the meaningful work that they do in keeping our neighbourhoods safe. Many of these individuals go beyond the ‘call of duty’ in their everyday work offering support and services within their communities and deserve special recognition for their commitment.

The successful nominees are:
•    The Right to Work – Beacon Group, Havant
•    The Round About Café, Southampton
•    Hythe Youth Club & Volunteers, Hythe
•    Hampshire Community Court, Basingstoke
•    Hampshire Community Court, Fareham
•    New Help the Homeless in Southampton
•    Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS)
•    Fleet Angels, Fleet
•    Community Team at Park Community School, Havant
•    Charlie Wright & Vivienne Wheeler – Friends of the Family, Winchester
•    Gosport Community Safety Team Sorrell Kenny, Sam Mitchell and Carly Perry,
•    John Molony, SSAFA Alton
•    Roy Sutton, Neighbourhood Watch, Hartley Wintney
•    Ian Wright, PCSO, Gosport
•    Lisa Baldock, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Portsmouth
•    Court Reward – Nathan Jones
•    Court Reward – Terry Bicknell
•    Court Reward – Oliver McDermott

Winchester
Friends of the Family is a charity for vulnerable families and their children living in the Winchester district.  Vivienne Wheeler is Chairman of the organisation and works tirelessly to improve the life chances of young children through early intervention, to ensure an immeasurable effect on their lives. Vivienne also leads vital fundraising activities to ensure the charity is the success it is today.

Charlie Wright is a Counsellor for Friends of the Family, leading the ‘Dads Project’ working with male prisoners in Winchester prison before and after their release. Charlie supports his clients in establishing and maintaining contact and relationships with their children, gaining their trust and friendship and offering them practical advice to change their lives. Charlie has also set up a monthly Dads and Kids Group to encourage fathers to build a bond with their children.

Portsmouth
Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) is a busy independent lifeboat service covering the Solent and Portsmouth Harbour areas, responding to 112 incidents in 2016. GAFIRS are unpaid volunteer members on call 24 hours a day, 365 days per year in all weather. The group also give free sea-safety education talks in schools and community groups in South Hampshire.

Basingstoke / Fareham
Hampshire Community Court is a Peer Court programme where young trained volunteers hold children aged 10 to 17 to account when they have broken the law for the first time. This is done through positive peer influence to counter the negative pressures associated with early child offending. Fareham Community Court was the original pilot scheme in Hampshire and they have now helped over 300 cases, while Basingstoke Community Court has been running since July 2016.

Gosport
Sorrell Kenny, Sam Mitchell, and Carly Perry from the Gosport Community Safety Team all ensure the safety of vulnerable young people and families and supporting local residents that require additional help for a variety of needs. The team deal with issues such as anti-social behaviour or drug use, ensuring funding and co-ordination is in place to meet these needs.  

Southampton
The Round About Café helps people who have been out of work for a long time to build confidence, enabling them to make new friends and prevent social isolation. The café works with many partners including the police who hold regular consultations in the café to be more accessible to the public and community.

The High Sheriff, Mr Tom Floyd, said: “The awards ceremony was a truly inspiring occasion and I am delighted to recognise these unsung heroes carrying out their great work and making a real difference to their communities. I have seen first-hand the outstanding work carried out across Hampshire in order to provide support to vulnerable people in our area”.

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) organises the High Sheriff’s Awards working in partnership with the High Sheriff of Hampshire. Jakes Ferguson, Chief Executive of HIWCF commented “The High Sheriff Awards support the values and the work that HIWCF implements at grassroots level across Hampshire communities and we are pleased to be able to support the High Sheriff in recognising the great work of local individuals and organisations in our area”.

Posted in HHS, HHS Tom Floyd 2016-2017.