Carlisle community champions have been recognised for their achievements at Carlisle City Council’s civic dinner.
The authority’s Community Awards have been held since 2002.
This year’s winners
Toby Harling
Toby Harling has been instrumental in fighting for and securing the rights of cyclists within Carlisle for a number of years. As a member of Cycle Carlisle, he has worked within a group to promote cycling.
He has worked tirelessly with local councillors to fight for paths to be classified as cycle paths in order to get the protections and improvements they need – even though this has already taken a number of years.
Volunteers – Eileen Miller, Maureen Wilson, Judith Holiday, Anne Lee and Deborah Earl
The winners of this award are Carlisle Community Help. Since the beginning of the pandemic, these volunteers have worked tirelessly helping thousands of people across the city.
From providing shopping and prescription collections to those most vulnerable in the city, to delivering 100s of food parcels every week in the first lockdown to providing 23,500 days’ worth of packed lunches to children in the summer of 2020.
Since the affordable food hubs have opened the women have provided another vital service to many in Carlisle, putting together and delivering 100s of orders every week.
David T Hughes
David Hughes has served for over a decade on Wetheral Parish Council, with stints as chair and vice-chair during that time.
As well as volunteering for the National Trust, the RSPB and Cumbria Wildlife, Dave has organised an annual charity golf event, raising over £50,000 for Eden Valley Hospice.
He is a linchpin of the community in Scotby and was among the first to volunteer for the SWWATCH community support group in the first lockdown in 2020.
In this role, he personally organised care and support for several vulnerable individuals, delivering their food and medication and arranging where necessary for the involvement of Social Services.
Dave is booking secretary for Scotby village hall and, as a member of the management committee, he has acted over five years as project manager for the improvements to the village’s playing field. Thanks to Dave’s tireless work, the community now has a MUGA, a children’s play area and a new pavilion.
He worked with the parish council to assemble the necessary funding for the projects, holding fund-raising events and going on a sponsored weight-loss campaign.
He then made daily visits to the playing fields during the building work to liaise with the architect and the contractors, ensuring the very best outcome for the community. Scotby now has playing field facilities to rival the best in the county and Dave continues to look after them, dealing sensitively with residents over parking issues and even putting the pavilion bins out on collection day.
Whether collecting litter, delivering prescriptions, transporting residents for hospital appointments, or tending to the village hall and playing fields, Dave makes an outstanding and vitally important contribution to his community.
Alan Dinning
Alan Dinning is an outstanding member of the community in Dalston.
He has been on the Recreation Committee for the best part of 50 years, and on the Dalston Show Committee for longer than that and was the principal organiser of the Dalston Festival for its first 15 years. Alan is also a member of Dalston Parish Council.
He is always available for anybody who needs help, everything from a chat to digging out their blocked drains or reroofing the hearse house in the church yard.
Alan never thinks about the time he spends in our parish or the people he gives assistance to, it comes as second nature.
Kenneth and Elizabeth Allison
This couple have lived at Lowry Hill for many years and are well respected members of the area.
They both take great pride in the community, with particular attention to the environment. They can be found, almost every day, out and about, especially in the locality of Kingmoor Nature Reserve and on all the approaches to it, along with their dog.
Both can be seen carrying a black bag a piece with litter picking sticks, clearing up litter from the footways, hedgerows and amongst the trees.
The amount of litter that they have collected over the years must be beyond measuring, and those members of society that abuse the beauty of the area with inconsiderate dumping of rubbish, should be ashamed of their actions, and at the same time be grateful that these two fine members of society do this sterling work, work they willingly undertake without expectation of any reward.
Sandra Carr
Sandra Carr is a school dinner lady at Bishop Harvey Goodwin School and has done this for the majority of her life and is still working there today at the age of 74.
Sandra works with a team of dedicated dinner ladies however the reason Sandra is being nominated is because of her long service and because she goes over and above what you would expect of this role.
She arrives at the school at unearthly hours of the morning in order to prepare the food and to ensure the children get fresh vegetables and home cooked meals.
All of the children get a nutritious meal. Rain, hail, snow or COVID have not deterred Sandra who never misses a day. She does all of the extra hours for no pay and is known and loved by generations of children and parents.
Sandra is also involved in the local Girl Guide and Brownie troupes and regularly goes to help on their camping trips, paying for and cooking the meals as well as organising games for them and generally looking after them.
A quiet and unassuming lovely lady she is one in a million who thinks only of what she can do to help others in her community. Her contribution to the health and well-being of thousands of children in Currock is immense.
Dennis Maddison
Dennis Maddison has lived in Hayton for over 40 years. After his retirement and after a short illness, Dennis began going out walking and picking up rubbish, he has been doing this for over 15 years and has worn out many litter grabbers.
He is out nearly every day of the week walking on different routes, finding all types of rubbish, and reporting any fly tipping or dead animals that need collected.
Dennis also keeps an eye on any suspicious vehicles he sees, he is also a mobile neighbourhood watch.
