Kingsclere showers community minded villagers, policeman and MP with awards
The introductions at Kingsclere’s Volunteer of the Year and Good Citizenship Awards 2014 and Kingsclere Appreciation Certificates were made by John Sawyer, the vice chairman of Kingsclere Parish Council.
The awards were presented by Sir George, on behalf of the council, at Kingsclere Village Club.
Retired police beat officer for the village, Pc Brian Dixon, received an appreciation certificate for being an asset to Kingsclere, and The Village Butchers in Swan Street received a Good Citizenship Award for its community work, including opening and closing St Mary’s Church, selling tickets for village functions and for exceptional service.
Mr Sawyer said: “When our late neighbour became too frail to walk into the village, someone would drop in her meat each week... but then I suppose she had been a customer for over 60 years.”
The former chairman of Kingsclere Parish Council, Peter Woodman, received a Volunteer of the Year Award for his 15 years’ service to the council, and as a founder member of Kingsclere Heritage Association and former chairman of the Kingsclere Village Club.
Mr Sawyer said that the club, located in a Grade II-listed building had been saved by Mr Woodman.
“We could quote from Sir Christopher Wren’s inscription in St Paul’s Cathedral: ‘If you seek his memorial look around you’.”
Another former chairman of the parish council, Peter Goff, received a Volunteer of the Year Award to mark his work for the parish council and, since his retirement in 2012, his voluntary work for the council.
He had also been a trustee and treasurer of the village club.
Parish councillor Janet Bond also received a Volunteer of the Year Award for her works for the parish council, which included obtaining a defibrillator for the village.
Villager Ken Cox received his award for his work as the Royal British Legion’s parade marshall for Kingsclere, and for tending the village war memorial.
Volunteer of the Year Awards were also presented to Kaye Broom, Peter Evans, Sharon Morris, Louise Porton, Nova Saunderson and Janet Sturgess, and a Good Citizenship Award went to Chris Banning, of Autocraft, West Kingsclere.
A Kingsclere Appreciation Certificate was presented to Sir George, who retires in March after 18 years as an MP, by parish council chairman Alan Denness, who said Sir George would be missed and a very, very difficult act to
follow.
Mr Denness wound up the proceedings by announcing that the clerk to the parish council, Sheila Thompson
was a runner-up in the Hampshire Association of Local Councils’ Clerk of the Year Award 2014.