Six local residents were presented with Civic Awards by Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge’s Mayor last night (Wednesday, March 29th) in recognition of their service to our local community.
Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard and Deputy Mayor Cllr Sharon Perry handed out the awards during a special civic awards ceremony held at Burnham’s Princess Theatre attended by over 50 people.
The six winners, chosen by the Council, were drawn up from a list of nominees submitted by members of the public: Terry Rickard, Jacqui Strong, John Kempton, Jim Bass, Andy Brewer and Gavin Holman. A special Mayor’s award was also presented to Ian Jefferies.
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.
Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard said: “It was my great pleasure to present Civic Awards to this year’s recipients in recognition of their outstanding contributions to our community. The Civic Awards are an opportunity to recognise and value the work of people who have contributed so much to the life of residents in the towns. We are lucky to have many people who go that extra mile and were very pleased at the quality and quantity of nominations.”
Terry Rickard
The Mayor said: “Terry Rickard was born in Love Lane, Burnham on Sea in May 1947. After completing his schooling he joined the Royal Marines where he served Queen and country for 10 years. On leaving the Marines he then joined Burnham Fire brigade and served for 24 years, ending up as the Station Officer. Terry has also run businesses in Burnham and Highbridge since the 1980’s employing numerous local people. In his spare time he was a school governor at King Alfred school and also served a while on Burnham and Highbridge Town Council. Terry recognised his own fortunate position in life and has spent many years giving back to the community in a huge variety of ways. Some examples of his generosity are: In 2014 he gave Hillview Carnival Club use of a sheltered site free of charge for building their carnival float so that they could continue after they lost their previous home. They are still there now. The King Alfred Boxing Club had one of Terry’s units free of charge for over 10 years, which helped them to continue. They only moved out when they outgrew the premises.
In 2018 he did a head shave for the Princess Trust and raised over £3000 in sponsorship which he then matched, ending up with nearly £7000 going to the charity. The following year, in 2019, he donated a mini-bus to the Burnham-On-Sea & Highbridge Sea Cadets Unit, he also donated a mini bus to the cadets in Bridgwater and also one to the cadets in Weston Super Mare. In 2021, after an appeal by local football club Burnbridge Wanderers, Terry donated £5,000 to fund the purchase of new life-saving defibrillators to be kept next to sports pitches in the area. When the Watchfield Village Hall were fundraising for a new hall Terry kindly donated £10000 to their appeal, and he also donated another £10000 to the Weston Hospital Scanner appeal. He has also supported numerous local clubs and organizations such as Sedgemoor Vintage Rally, Blue Ridge Runners and Harvest Homes over the years with free skips and bins for their events. For his services to his community, we present Terry with his civic award.”
Jacqui Strong
The Mayor said: “Jacqui Strong is being given her Civic Award to thank her for her services to her community over many years. Not one to shy away from hard work, and determined to make residents feel part of their community some examples of her involvement over the years include her role as Marine Cove’s part-time community gardener during a lottery funded restoration project with Sedgemoor District Council alongside the Friends of Marine Cove, where she was inventive in her fundraising ideas for ongoing maintenance, which included getting people knitting frogs. In 2015 Jacqui became the first President of the newly formed Womens Institute group the Burnham Belles. Also in the same year Jacqui became an organiser for the then newly created Burnham Community Theatre group. She has been community editor for the Local Reach magazine, supporting community group events and Jacqui has also spent time as a governor at The King Alfred School. Through her position as “Health and Wellbeing Officer” at Sedgemoor District Council she was instrumental in the startup of the local ‘Shed’ initiative, which benefits both individuals and communities through both the social interaction and the skill sharing. She was also part of the Burnham Evolution Group as a community representative. Jacqui took part as a volunteer with Dreamscheme, a project which encouraged local children to take pride in their community. In 2021 Jacqui was involved in setting up a community group called “Our Highbridge”. The group has been formed with the intention of making Highbridge a better place for residents, visitors and businesses. In her spare time over the years Jacqui has been a dedicated supporter of the performing arts as an amateur thespian treading the boards with Burnham District Pantomime Society and West Huntspill Players, even winning a best supporting actress award at the Somerset Fellowship of Drama Phoebe Rees ceremony in 2012. She is now involved with the Highbridge Festival of the Arts , helping to encourage everyone to have a go.”
Andy Brewer
The Mayor said: “A former councillor on Burnham and Highbridge Town Council between the years of 2014 – 2022, including his year as Mayor between 2019-2020, Andy Brewer has spent many years striving to benefit the community. As a member of the Sedgemoor Cycling Group since 2008, representing Burnham and Highbridge, Andy has been involved in much of the work coming to fruition presently through Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans. Andy is a trustee of BARB Search & Rescue. In September 2020 Andy did a fundraiser for the charity by cycling from Burnham-On-Crouch in Essex, to Burnham-On-Sea. He managed to cover a distance of just over 200 miles in two days, and raised a fantastic £2,500. Andy has promoted Burnham-On-Sea as a tourist destination, through his assistance with “Project Coach” which is an ongoing Burnham-On-Sea Chamber of Trade initiative. This project was instrumental in increasing the number of coaches that stopped in Burnham, boosting the local economy, and led to Andy representing the town at the ‘2020/2021 British Coach Tourism Awards’ where Burnham was a runner up in the top 5 most coach friendly travel destinations. Andy is the longest serving Trustee of Morland Community Hub in Highbridge and in 2022 was successful in helping to get funding to re-launch a much needed library service in Highbridge. He has also been a Trustee of a local Church for many years. Not one to laze around, when not cycling he is also a member of the local Gig Rowing Club, Andy also provides respite care for his nephew who has special needs. For all that you do Andy, we would like to present you with this civic award.”
Jim Bass
The Mayor said: “Having lived in Burnham for over 20 years with his wife, Jim Bass is another incredible contributor to our community, week in, week out. Jim is retired but pends time every week helping others, in a variety of ways. During the recent pandemic Jim was an active volunteer, helping to Marshall at vaccination clinics in Burnham and Highbridge. Through his years of Covid volunteering, he was shocked by how many people were housebound. Jim now fetches their prescriptions and does their shopping for them. He appreciates the genuine ‘thank yous’ he receives from those he helps. Jim also drives friends to hospital, who cannot drive themselves. In particular, Jim has provided transport and support for a friend who recently had a heart attack. The Highbridge and Burnham-On-Sea Local Pantry is a project being run by volunteers at Highbridge’s Morland Community Hub and Burnham Baptist Church, working in partnership with food charity FareShare South West. Jim volunteers each week at “The Pantry”, sorting food out for redistribution to local families. Jim also helps to run a local men’s “walking football” group, for over 55’s. He voluntarily deals with the administration and general organisation of the group. The football group provides a valuable network of camaraderie and support for its members. As part of this, Jim recently researched and helped to deliver a “First Aid in Football” course to the group. In his spare time, he also enjoys playing Bowls for Burnham bowls club and going course fishing. Jim enjoys helping others as he gets great satisfaction from knowing he has made their lives a bit easier or better.”
John Kempton
The Mayor said: “With a personal motto of ‘Be Strong! Be Courageous!’ it is no surprise to hear that John is deeply involved in community volunteering. With foodbanks sadly becoming ever more needed, John is both a trustee and also a volunteer for the local Highbridge area foodbank which can be found at Hope Baptist Church in Highbridge. The foodbank has become a vital part of support for many local families in crisis. He is also a trustee and helps out as a volunteer at the Local Waffle Hub Community café that is held each week at the Methodist Church in Burnham. This voluntary run, not for profit organisation helps the local community with the café, cooking classes and providing a warm space during these difficult
times. John has also joined the recently formed “Homelessness Working Group “that is aiming to help those in the area who become homeless through identifying needs and how they can be met. Described by his nominator as” an amazing person who does all this as a volunteer. He goes above and beyond the call of duty.” Another worthy recipient of a civic award.”
Gavin Holman
The award was accepted on Gavin’s behalf by his father Keith while Gavin is away.
The Mayor said: “Gavin is another model citizen of Burnham-On-Sea, always there to help within the town wherever he can with his lovely smile. Co-owner of local family run business Brit Chips, over the recent Covid 19 pandemic he helped to regularly deliver food to families in need for free, making sure that the families were getting healthy choices. He has been chairman of the Burnham and district Pantomime Society for several years now, working incredibly hard behind the scenes and out of panto season looking for funding opportunities to help build it back up again and get it back onto its feet following the pandemic. Always supportive to all the society members, Gavin loves to encourage local youngsters to get involved saying “Panto has been a breeding ground for many young performers, musicians and those who have gone on to careers within theatre or production.” His nominator commented “We have just had a great year with the production of Dick Whittington, without Gavin’s time, and quiet stealth like work in the background, we would have struggled to put this show on. Always striving to give back to the community, Gavin is there if you need a table for a street fair, a last minute gazebo, putting signs up for an event, and generally offering a helping hand to all. Thank you Gavin for all that you do.”
Ian Jefferies – Mayor’s Special Award
The Mayor presented this special extra award with Cllr Mike Best, Chair of Somerset CC, and said: “The person in question has already received a Civic Award in 2012. I felt it was necessary to recognise his amazing work through the pandemic. He organised a wonderful band of volunteers to provide a Covid response team to support the community. The volunteers marshalled the immunisation programme and more importantly supported our most vulnerable residents during lock down. They collected prescriptions and shopping and generally made sure that people felt supported through a very difficult time. None of that could have happened without the organisation skills of Ian Jefferies. It is a testament to his commitment to our community that the service is still operating now.”
The Mayor also thanked Town Clerk Katherine Noble and her team for organising the evening plus the Princess Theatre Team and Cllr Mike Best, Chair of Somerset CC, for attending during a very busy week, plus King Alfred Concert Band for providing entertainment.
