This year's Crawley Community Awards were once again held at the Hawth. Here are the highlights from the evening including all the winners and the three performances
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening and welcome to the Crawley Community Awards 2024. Are you ready to celebrate and
00:17meet some amazing people? Right on. Please welcome your host for tonight, Mr. Duff Ida.
00:24Good evening Crawley. How are we doing? Are we good? Excellent. Wow, I'm glad we haven't
00:41done any of this before. There we go. Welcome, welcome. It's so nice to see everybody this
00:46evening. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the ninth Crawley Community Awards
00:52held in association with the Crawley Borough Council, the Horth and the Crawley Observer
00:56with the support of our category sponsors and headline sponsor, London Gatwick. We are
01:01really, really happy to be back at the Horth once again to share this evening with the
01:05shortlisted nominees. So all of you are to be congratulated on making the final shortlist,
01:10which I think you all agree is an achievement in itself. Well done. Congratulations. The
01:16first category is culture and to announce the winner, please welcome on stage Wendy
01:21Bell on behalf of Crawley Town Centre BID. Good evening everybody. Lovely to see the
01:30grain of the good of Crawley out tonight. So I am delighted on behalf of Crawley Town
01:36Centre BID to announce that the winner for the culture award is Elizabeth Stephen. Liz,
01:44so congratulations to you. How does it feel to win the first award of the evening? Excited,
01:50very humbled. Can I say thank you to my nominees and also members of the History Society that
01:58are here tonight. Sorry. That's okay, that's okay. Ian, who is here, is one of my nominees.
02:05Thank you Ian for being there from the very beginning and supporting me and the History
02:10Society. And also Kevin Graver, who is our vice-chair. He calls me the boss. He's my
02:17right hand man. Right hand man. Now, why is it that you felt so passionately for this
02:22project that you've had to drive it home? We were all frontiers during the project and
02:29we started realising that people had done some research into the family and the park,
02:35but there was no sort of central area to go to, to get the information of the history.
02:41So when the history project finished, we had talks with Crawley Borough Council and said
02:46look, we would like to set up a history society. We got through some red tape but we got there
02:52and then after a year we said look, the Fister Centre rooms are not being used. We would
02:56like to use them as a museum to showcase what we're doing. A couple of it got in the
03:01way in a little flood, but we got over that. But we now open Wednesday afternoons. Thursdays
03:07we have a sewing group. We're making a timeline tapestry to hang up and hopefully onwards
03:13and upwards. Onwards and upwards indeed. Look at this. This is absolutely amazing. Thank
03:17you very much. Good evening. Welcome to the Horth. I feel as though I'm allowed to say
03:21that this year. Last year when I did this, I'd been here for a grand total of two months.
03:26So a year and two months in, I think I probably am in a slightly better place to be able to
03:31say welcome to the Horth, to this fantastic facility that we have here in Crawley for
03:37the entire community. It is my very great honour and pleasure to announce the winner
03:42of the Performing Arts Award, which is the Silver Birch Singers.
03:48So this award is of course about you, but it's also about the singers as well. It's
03:55very much about yourself. What do you personally enjoy?
03:58I thought it was about these good people, the Silver Birch Singers.
04:02Well, I need to ask you.
04:05They're the musical director, but as you can see, certainly not their boss.
04:09Well, let me ask you, let me ask you, let me ask you, what do you enjoy personally about
04:18running Silver Birch Singers?
04:20Their company. Whatever mood you arrive in on that Friday morning, you certainly leave
04:27with a spring in your step. There's no doubt about that. These good people, for definite.
04:33I think that hits it right on the head. The Silver Birch Singers, everybody.
04:37Ginny Hart, Deputy Mayor of Crawley.
04:40Hello. It's lovely to be back. I must be doing something right. The winner of the Local Hero
04:52Award is David Barber.
04:57David transformed his family home and front garden into the most incredible Christmas
05:05lights display for the fifth year running to raise money for autism support in Crawley.
05:10Now, I'm not sure many people that don't like Christmas lights, and you have gone absolutely...
05:17You've taken it to another level. Was that always the plan?
05:21It sort of grew, really, I suppose.
05:24David's quite obsessive, and just one little idea grows into another idea, and we just
05:29thought, we can do this, can't we? We can do that. Let's put a 10-foot star on the garage.
05:33Let's put a 14-foot Christmas tree up in the front garden. Let's do a nativity scene. Let's
05:40do 43,000 LED lights that go up. Before anyone says, ooh, that's a bit energy-burning, it's
05:47not. It's an LED TV running with a skybox running for four hours, five hours a day,
05:52so it's very efficient.
05:54When's the big switch on this year?
05:57So, probably the beginning of December.
06:00When we finish it, because we start it in November, and we finish putting it away in
06:05March, normally, so wowzers.
06:07Well, it is absolutely tremendous, and something is just... If you're a cookie, does that make
06:11you a Christmas cookie?
06:13Whatever you want.
06:15Well, I'll see you later. Congratulations. And to announce the winner, we have Dave Downie
06:21on behalf of K2, everyone active.
06:24Good evening, everyone. Really good to be here again this year, even with the football
06:31on.
06:32Easy.
06:33I don't think I'm going to be missing anything the way we're playing, but the winner is Limitless
06:43FC.
06:54...described as more than a football club, it is a family. Gene and all the coaches have
06:58staff created by a club that is truly a benefit to the Crawley community. They have achieved
07:03so much on and off the pitch. The club works to bridge the gap with the minority communities
07:09in Crawley through football. Many members are of the Chagossian community. The club
07:13is always available to help the children and their families on and off the pitch.
07:17Congratulations. Who's the spokesman? Is it yourself? Well, congratulations. And what
07:23achievements are you most proud of with LYFC?
07:26Wow. There's so many. I guess the main achievement for me with this football club is the development
07:37of the young children in the club. That's the most important thing for me and for these
07:42guys standing beside me today.
07:45One day, there will be a pandemic. A pathogen will jump from tainted banknotes to human
07:51skin. By the time patient zero feels the first sore throat, millions of people will already
07:57be infected.
07:58Day one. Hospitals are at rich capacity. Panic will strike.
08:03I said, I feel it. It's a hundred million.
08:08It's 85.
08:11Because a lot of you give me a call.
08:15And I feel like Robin Hood.
08:18I got a percolated.
08:21I show it is percolated.
08:24They don't want to see possible.
08:28Possible.
08:29Possible.
08:35The category is education. And to present the award, we have Hayley Richardson on behalf
08:39of London Gatwick.
08:41And the winner is Lizzy Cooper.
08:48Mrs. Cooper is a special education coordinator at St. Andrew's School in Crewe and received
08:53multiple nominations from parents. One typical nomination said, my child has an autism diagnosis
08:59and Mrs. Cooper has done so much for him and many others at this school. Our SEND parent
09:04community is very grateful to her for making sure children are included in school life
09:09and are happy and comfortable in their school environment. Nothing she does goes unnoticed
09:14and I want her to be recognized for everything she does. I want her to know how grateful
09:18we all are.
09:20You've been nominated because you deserve it and that these people absolutely love you.
09:24So it does sound very close to your heart. Was it, was it always the goal? Was this the
09:29type of work that you've always wanted to do?
09:31Yeah, the plan has always been to be a special needs teacher and advocate.
09:36Next up is group achievement. To present the award, we have Rhys Hutchings on behalf of
09:40the Project Centre.
09:42Now.
09:44Oh, there he is. Yes, he can come up. Please give it up for Rhys Hutchings.
09:48That was one step ahead of myself.
09:54Good evening everyone. It's a great honour and privilege to award St Vincent to Paul Crawley.
10:06Now, what awards show up even where the recipients couldn't make it. But Live Fire Satellite,
10:11no, they weren't able to attend this evening. So I'm going to call Ian Duke, Chief Executive
10:16of Crawley Borough Council, to accept the award on their behalf.
10:25St Vincent to Paul is a church-based charity which looks out for all members of the local
10:31community. It's volunteers pack and deliver weekly food parcels for around 60 families
10:38and source furniture and home goods for those in new accommodation.
10:44Good evening all. It's a great honour to announce and the winner is Catherine Howe.
10:55Thank you.
11:00Catherine volunteers for many local charities. She collects from Asda, M&S, Aldi and Lidl
11:06between Monday and Friday each week on behalf of Giving Back Crawley and helps four times
11:11a week to cook hot meals for the homeless in Crawley. This busy volunteer also delivers
11:16food parcels and hot meals for families in temporary accommodation and in hardship. She
11:21also arranges collections for Crawley Free Shop and Ten Little Toes. Catherine volunteers
11:27seven days a week and has been doing so for many years. She is rightly described as being
11:32absolutely amazing.
11:35Catherine, when was the last time you actually rested?
11:39Not very often.
11:42You help so many people. What drives you? What keeps you going?
11:47Well, I'm only a small cog in a big wheel. Lots of people help. I'm just wonderful.
11:53To present the award, please welcome Grant Parker on behalf of Mayo Winbaxter.
12:02Hello, good evening everyone. On behalf of Mayo Winbaxter, I'm privileged to be able to
12:07announce the winner of the support group and the winner is Sister Share.
12:18Thank you.
12:28Sister Share Listening Group offers a safe, confidential and non-judgmental space for
12:33women in the Crawley area. Women are invited to come and be listened to with other like-minded
12:38women. They can share their lived experience and discuss any mental or physical health
12:43challenges. Their doors are open to women from multicultural and religious backgrounds.
12:48They embrace equality, diversity and inclusion and value women within the local communities.
12:54It's clear that people think a lot of you guys, ladies, sorry.
13:01What sense do you get of the importance that Sister Share plays in the lives of ladies
13:05that come together and share their experiences?
13:08Well, my personal story is I joined Sister Share two years ago because I've been through
13:13domestic violence. I've got a disabled child and during COVID we've become very isolated.
13:19So I joined this group and I had counselling before I joined. Yeah, trauma therapy. And
13:27after six weeks, you're just literally left on your own and no support. So when I joined
13:32here, I am going every week. I've found new friends and through my stories, I've been
13:38able to help other women that have gone through the same. And these ladies are all amazing.
14:03And to present the award, please welcome on stage Hazel Thompson on behalf of CITB.
14:22So it's a pleasure to be back here again to present an award. And this year, the winners
14:28are the Othello Buddies.
14:51The Othello Buddies are a very special group of 11 to 18 year old volunteers. The Othellos
14:56are a group of 20 students with complex special educational needs at Aerial Drama Crawley.
15:01They rely on these student volunteers to enable them to access and enjoy their drama, dance
15:06and music lessons. Some of the needs and behaviour of these students can be challenging, but
15:11the Buddies show such resilience, compassion and dedication and have had a remarkable impact
15:16on these young people's lives. By giving up their time to volunteer every week, the Buddies
15:22positively impact the social development of these students, allowing them to be fully
15:26included in activities. The Othellos Buddies.
15:31Now I guess it's very inspiring work that you all do. And I imagine that you yourselves
15:36are often inspired by the Othellos themselves, are you?
15:39Yeah, definitely. It's a very rewarding role to be working in. And these guys here, we
15:44couldn't do it without them. So they are crucial to everything we get to do with the Othellos.
15:50We now have the fundraiser category and to announce the winner, please welcome Community
15:55Awards Judge Katie Bennett.
16:00Thank you very much for letting me be a judge again this year. The winner of the fundraising
16:04award is Darren Greenaway.
16:12The Greenaway Foundation is a registered charity which was formed in 2011. In that first year,
16:18Darren provided Christmas dinner and presents for five local families in need. To date,
16:23they have provided Christmas dinner for over 6,000 families and presents for over 10,000
16:29children. The primary aim of the charity is to provide ad hoc help to local families who
16:38fly under the radar of getting formal help. Families are brought to their attention primarily
16:44through local schools, social services and other charities. Fundraising events are held
16:49throughout the year to support the charity, which relies on local businesses' sponsorship
16:53and the kindness of individual donations. The Greenaway Foundation, how proud are you
17:00of what you and your team have achieved, not just now, but since forming in 2011?
17:04I think the team have been phenomenal. I mean, they're brilliant. The trustees are amazing.
17:11My team at Greenaway Residential supports us all the time.
17:14Great.
17:15Up next is the Community Champions Award, and to announce the winner, we have Marilyn
17:20Mansfield-Clark, Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex.
17:25A humbling evening. It's so moving to meet all of you and get so much greatness. It's
17:32my honour to announce our winners, who are Michael Hayes and Roy Hillier.
17:42They have been giving up their time to maintain the grounds and the building of Maiden Bower
17:46Junior School for more than 15 years. They are an integral part of the school's success
17:51and are admired and respected by all. Whatever the weather, both are on site at 6am each
17:58morning. They have a work ethic which is second to none. No job is too big or too small for
18:02them, and they complete each task with good humour and professionalism. Both are keen
18:07and experienced gardeners, and they're happy to pass on their knowledge to people, parents
18:11and staff. All would love to see them given some recognition. Here they are.
18:15So, Mike's not here. Roy, you are here, aren't you? Roy's not here. Mike, you are. Mike,
18:26right? Mike? Thanks very much. I'm going to come and stand in the middle if I may. Hello
18:30sir, congratulations to you. So, 6am every morning, come rain or shine, you chaps are
18:38there, ready to go. What keeps you from hitting the snooze button and kind of having another
18:42lie in for an hour or so? No idea. This is a... Habit. Habit? Yeah. What's the best thing
18:53about doing what you do at the school? I don't know, working with him. Working with Roy.
18:58Right, next up is sports team, and announcing the winner we have Alan Christmas on behalf
19:04of Keegan's. Good evening everyone. It's my absolute pleasure on behalf of Keegan's to
19:11announce the winner is Crawley and Maiden Bower Panthers. Crawley and Maiden Bower Panthers
19:22are a big part of grassroots football in Crawley, giving more than 400 local children in the
19:28area an opportunity to play. The coaches lead with empathy, curiosity and emotional intelligence.
19:38There is such a high focus on teamwork, growing confidence and being there for each other.
19:43In a world often driven by over ambition and pushing, only the best players forward, Maiden
19:48Bower Panthers are there for every member of their squad, regardless of ability. All
19:53are equally important and equally valued. It's a club full of warmth and big hearts.
19:58The volunteer coaches definitely deserve recognition for their outstanding work they do and the
20:03confidence they instil in the players. Perfect, thank you. What's the best thing about working
20:09with all these young passionate footballers? I think it's, as we've heard from everybody
20:14here tonight, just a chance to give somebody a chance to do something that perhaps they
20:17wouldn't have done otherwise. The founding principle of our club was to provide football
20:22perhaps for people who couldn't get into other clubs, and we've been able to do that, welcoming
20:26anybody. We now have 100 girls playing football out of our 400 players and those are people
20:30that perhaps wouldn't have been able to play otherwise.
20:33Performance of the evening, and it's from performing arts students at Crawley College.
20:38Thank you.
20:54Come on babe, why don't we paint the town?
20:59And all that jazz, I'm gonna rouge my knees and roll my stockings down.
21:07And all that jazz.
21:09Start the car, I know a whoopee spot, where the gin is cold, but the piano's hot.
21:16It's just a noisy hall, where there's a nightly brawl, and all that jazz.
21:30The winner, please welcome the Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Shamila Savitra.
21:38Good evening everyone, it's a great honour to present this award, and the winner is,
21:45Neeru Ravindra.
21:50Knowing that you're making such a massive difference to other people's lives.
21:54I feel very satisfied and giving some support to them, and I feel very great about it.
22:04Now we move on to the charity category, and to announce the winner we have Community Awards
22:10judge, your friend and mine, Dave Whatmore.
22:17It's always been an honour to be a judge.
22:20It is unbelievably difficult choosing the winners, but congratulations to everybody.
22:30And the winner of the charity award is, Ten Little Toes Baby Bank.
22:44Ten Little Toes is a baby bank that was relocated to the centre of Crawley last year.
22:49They are now best placed to offer support to families and parents with children from
22:53birth to 12 years, in mostly of their help.
22:56Demand has been higher than ever, with the number of referrals doubling year on year.
23:01Many of those who come to them in crisis, or facing difficult circumstances, are all
23:06helped and supported.
23:07The volunteer team members are described as an amazing team of genuinely giving people,
23:13led by Jojo, who is one of the most generous and pure souls you ever will meet.
23:18Ten Little Toes.
23:21Congratulations to all of you.
23:22Who's speaking to me?
23:23Jojo.
23:24Hi Jojo.
23:25You're hiding.
23:26Come forward please Jojo, if you wouldn't mind.
23:29The work you all do means that babies and children have a better chance, and the parents
23:34get your much needed support.
23:36What's the most rewarding part of the role for all of you?
23:39Just doing the job we do.
23:41Just supporting people, just sending out a bit of love and support and hope that things
23:45do get better.
23:46That's why we do it.
23:47That's why we started doing it, and that's why we continue to do it.
23:50Well I think that's absolutely brilliant.
23:52Congratulations.
23:54I'm going to speak really slowly, so that people can get down the stairs, so we don't
24:01get a traffic jam.
24:03Right there.
24:05And there we are, back to normal.
24:07Our next category is Inspiration, and the award will be presented by Anthony Young,
24:12on behalf of Optimen.
24:18Good evening, it's a pleasure to be here again this evening as a sponsor of the awards
24:23evening.
24:24And the winner for the award for Inspiration is Shanaz Norman.
24:48Shireen Sims had only given birth to her daughter 8 weeks before she suffered a catastrophic
24:57brain hemorrhage.
24:58Against all the odds, she survived, and now she is on an incredible journey to recovery
25:03and getting back to walking.
25:05A huge part of her journey has been her sister Shanaz.
25:08Shanaz has been Shireen's full time carer and rock, and has also coordinated all of
25:14the fundraising and publicity to highlight Shireen's incredible story.
25:17Shanaz would do anything for her sister, and deserves recognition for everything that she
25:23has done.
25:38Did you expect to get this award?
25:40No, I was told I was shortlisted and I just thought we'd come and see some really inspirational
25:46people and then...
25:48You're one of them.
25:56So, what happened to Shireen was devastating and life altering.
26:01But with your unwavering help and your family's support, things are much brighter.
26:06So, how is she doing?
26:08And I believe she's here this evening.
26:10She's right over there.
26:14How's she doing?
26:15She's doing really well.
26:17She's doing really well.
26:18When Shireen first came home in September 21, she was completely bed bound.
26:25She was fed through a peg in her stomach and she couldn't even lift her head.
26:30And now Shireen takes steps at physio.
26:33She's had her peg removed, she can eat and drink.
26:37She is just getting stronger every day and she's recently, the last couple of months,
26:42started talking as well.
26:44Congratulations.
26:46You get them.
26:47You go get them.
26:48Congratulations to you.
26:50To all your family over there.
26:52Our final award of the evening is Community Group.
26:56And to present the award, please welcome Emma Madden on behalf of the council now.
27:02Good evening everyone.
27:03The winner of the Community Group Award goes to Gravity.
27:14Gravity is a social club for people with disabilities and has been running since 2016.
27:20For people with disabilities.
27:22Let me start again, shall I?
27:24Gravity is a social club for people with disabilities and has been running since 2016.
27:29There are currently more than 50 members who benefit from this social environment.
27:34Activities include quizzes, discos, bingo, karaoke and music workshops.
27:39For a couple of hours a week, members can enjoy the freedom to socialise and make new friends.
27:44A dedicated, kind and friendly volunteer group helps the club run smoothly.
27:49They provide a nurturing environment where the young people can thrive.
27:53One person said, I know a number of people who attend and it's a joy to see friendships developing and confidence grow as they look out for one another.
28:02I give you Gravity.
28:06Running a social club is no easy task.
28:09Is it made easier though when you see what positive impact it has on the members who attend?
28:14Oh, 100%.
28:15Without these members, we wouldn't be doing it every Friday.
28:19We only run every two hours on a week.
28:22That's all we can really volunteer to do.
28:24But since the pandemic, we've grown in strength.
28:28I've got over 50 members maybe running out looking for a new venue because where we are, it's just too small now.
28:35But it's fantastic.
28:36They come in week in, week out.