Six local residents were presented with Civic Awards by Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge’s Mayor last night (Friday) in recognition of their service to the local community.
Mayor Cllr Mike Facey and Deputy Mayor Cllr Andy Hodge handed out the awards during a special civic awards ceremony held at Burnham’s Princess Theatre attended by over 100 people to thank the winners who had been nominated by local residents.
Each year, the Town Council recognises individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the community, made a significant contribution to local public life, and have shown real dedication in helping local residents. The six winners, chosen by the Council, were drawn up from a list of nominees submitted by members of the public:
- Maxine Bashford in recognition of her 12 years operating the Highbridge Area Foodbank, during which time she has gone above and beyond to support those in crisis, working especially hard to help those in need during the pandemic.
- Ruth and John Crosby for their involvement with the Royal British Legion, with special recognition of Ruth’s valiant efforts, leadership and unwavering community spirit in coordinating Burnham and Highbridge’s Poppy Appeal over the past six years.
- Jacob and Toby Beard for their work with the 1st Burnham Scout Group where they not only give the young people the opportunity to try new skills, but they teach the values of kindness, teamwork, charity, respect and leadership to help the Scouts to develop members into well-rounded young adults.
- Jeff Jackson for unwavering loyalty and dedication over 9 years to Burnham’s Air Cadets and 290 Detached Flight Squadron. Jeff’s selfless commitment has included many hours of voluntary work to ensure the cadets enjoy a varied, interesting and dynamic training programme that has increased local awareness of the group, increased membership and increased opportunities for young people.
During the evening, last year’s Civic Award winners – Jan Bonus, Pauline Smith, Terry Cornelius and John Chinn – were also mentioned by the Mayor for their service to the community. He explained that due to Covid restrictions in place at the time, they received their awards at Marine Cove, as reported here.
Among the dignitaries at the event were Cllr Alan Bradford, Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council, and Cllr Peter Clayton, who is Acting Chairman of Somerset County Council.
Cllr Facey said: “It was my great pleasure to present Civic Awards to this year’s recipients in recognition of their outstanding contributions to our local community. I thank all those who came along and supported the evening.”
The evening ended with light entertainment from Brent Knoll musician Tim Dean.
