Mayor's Civic Awards for Voluntary Service
The search is once again on for the borough's unsung heroes. The Borough Mayor Cllr Colin Manning is asking the community to get involved in this year's Mayor's Civic Awards for Voluntary Service by putting forward nominations for people in their area who have given their time to help others. I should be grateful if you could spread the word in your Parish and consider any local volunteers for a nomination. Please use the form attached as required.
The annual awards, which began in 1995, recognise and celebrate the valuable contribution made by people who volunteer their time to help others or to raise funds for local causes
Since then, the awards have celebrated many outstanding local residents who work tirelessly on behalf of others. One of last year’s recipients was Queenie Parker.Queenie’s outstanding and long-term commitment to her local community of Castle Acre prompted Helen Breach, on behalf of Castle Acre Parish Council, to nominate her for the award as a way of saying thank you.
Queenie has lived in Castle Acre for over 75 years, and works voluntarily for many charities and organisations. She works to support the local church, organising the flower rota, the Harvest festival, and every September for decades, the Church Cycle Ride: inspiring young and old cyclists alike to get on their bikes and raise thousands of pounds.
Queenie is a long-standing member of the Playing Fields committee, working to keep the open space for the benefit of the village. She holds her own cake stall every April to raise money for the Leprosy Mission.
Whatever the village event, Queenie lends a hand – washing up at the Horticultural Show, collecting for the Poppy Appeal, or helping at Macmillan coffee mornings.
Queenie is also a devoted grandmother and wife, and visits elderly and poorly neighbours, to help with their shopping and cooking.
Helen said “If you know someone who deserves this award, do fill in the form.Queenie is constantly doing things for others, and the nomination was an acknowledgement of appreciation from the whole village. There were many other people in the area who deserved recognition, but Queenie has always gone out of her way to help others, and is caring and thoughtful; a wonderful person.”
Queenie said "I initially wondered whether to accept the award, as to me, the work I do is just what I do every day. But I was honoured that the villagers of Castle Acre wanted to thank me, and words can't express what it meant to me. The award ceremony was an impressiveevening, and I look back on it as a wonderful memory; it was great to hear about the work the other nominees had done. If anyone is thinking about nominating someone they know for an award, they should do it, as anyone would be overjoyed to be recognised."
Borough Mayor, Cllr Colin Manning, said “My first contact with this award came last year when, as Deputy Mayor, I was involved in the judging. I was greatly impressed with the wide variety of volunteers who have done amazing work. We are so lucky here in West Norfolk to have these people who so freely give of their time and effort to enrich the lives of so many, and they do so without seeking any reward.
Over the last sixteen or so months I have met many of these volunteers in my role as Deputy Mayor and now Mayor, and I know how important a job they fulfil. Without their commitment many groups and projects would fail and I do urge local people to make their nominations so that the Borough can rightly recognise what these valuable volunteers mean to their community and give them a well deserved and official ‘Thank You’.”
To qualify for consideration for an award, the nominee must be a resident of the borough of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk who provides voluntary service or raises funds for charity and has done for several years, or someone who lives outside of the borough but provides voluntary services within the borough or raises funds for charities which work specifically in the borough and has done for several years.
Nomination forms are available online at under the Mayor’s section of the website, or can be requested from the Civics Officer by emailing or by calling 01553 616313.
Completed nomination forms can be emailed to or posted to: Civics Officer, King’s Lynn Town Hall, King’s Lynn, PE30 5DQ. Nominations must be received by Friday, 15 January 2016.
A panel of judges, headed by the Mayor, will meet shortly after this to consider each nomination, and the awards announced at a ceremony to be held in the Town Hall, King’s Lynn, on the evening of Wednesday 30 March 2016.
The awards are supported by BBC Radio Norfolk and are promoted in association with Your Local Paper.
Kind regards
Jules
Jules Stutchbury (Mrs)
Civic Officer
Town Hall
Kings Lynn
Norfolk
PE30 5DQ
Telephone 01553 762124