Made in Bury – the people who have made a difference

Bury’s “unsung heroes” have been rewarded with the first Made in Bury awards for their outstanding contribution to the community.

The winners were presented with their certificates at the annual meeting of Bury Council on 14 May.

Winners:

* Volunteer of the year - Linda Freeman, of Bury Street Pastors. Linda was chosen because of her determination, commitment and passion to help make the night time economy in Bury a safer place to be.

As the co-ordinator of Bury Street Pastors since its inception in June 2011, she has worked hard to engage and support often vulnerable people on the streets and in night time venues at busy weekends, listening, caring, supporting and signposting to help keep them safe

Linda has also worked tirelessly to recruit new volunteers, educate the community about this valuable work and work with a range of partners, helping to reduce tension on the street through a non-confrontational but caring approach and contributing significantly towards making Bury a safe place to be. 

* Outstanding contribution to a township – David and Yvonne Moore of Whitefield.

David and Yvonne have worked tirelessly over the years to help promote activities that have created a shared sense of community pride and belonging within the Whitefield and Unsworth township area.

They have helped form a local residents association, holding monthly meetings in their house. These meetings are welcoming and inclusive, helping local people connect with each other from a range of backgrounds and communities.

They were instrumental in helping to set up a local Homewatch scheme and have helped to set up a number of initiatives to improve community safety on their estate. 

They have helped to galvanise their community to tackle a range of other local issues and projects including planting 100 fruit trees in Hurst Wood, planting thousands of daffodil bulbs at the entrance to their estate and adjudicating a local ‘Elms in Bloom’ gardening competition.

They have opened up their beautiful garden to the public annually to raise money for local charities including Bury Cancer Support Centre, Bury Samaritans, project Smile, Streetwise 2000, and many others. 

Yvonne has also been an active on the Whitefield and Unsworth Township Forum, attending regularly to ensure the voice of residents is heard.

* Young person or young persons’ group (25 or under), outstanding community contribution award – The young people from Streetwise 2000.

Streetwise is a service for young people aged between 16 and 25 who have a wide range of health and social problems and challenges to overcome in their young lives. 

These young people are truly inspirational, overcoming many barriers to become active members of their communities.

Over the past 12 months, they have been volunteering at the New Kershaw Centre to create an ‘urban garden’ for other community groups to use, such as mother and baby groups and young carers.

They have helped to consult other young people to identify gaps in service provision, created a range of innovative projects accessible to other young people, formed their own ‘young persons’ forum, and worked hard to challenge stigma and discrimination. 

They have also supported each other, volunteering as ‘befrienders’ to support isolated young people through the WISE Up scheme which was entirely their idea and has been a huge success in engaging young people who have been struggling.

Councillor Mike Connolly, leader of Bury Council, said: “Mycongratulations go to all those who were nominated for our first Made in Bury community awards. We were overwhelmed by the number of nominations received and the examples of community activity, volunteering and selflessness happening daily across Bury. They really do represent everything about our borough that makes it a great place to live in.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 21 May 2013.

Picture attached: At the Made in Bury awards are (front, from left) Yvonne Moore, outgoing mayor Cllr Joan Grimshaw, and Jade Dutton, with (back, from left) Linda Freeman, Cllr Sandra Walmsley, Cllr Tim Pickstone, Daniel Speak, Cllr Mike Connolly, David Moore, Jamie Griffin, Kirsty Dimitrov, and Cllr Iain Gartside.