Baroness Newlove to judge 2012 City West Awards

Published by Melanie Hughes for IPB Communications in Housing and also in Communities

A LEADING community reform campaigner will be on the judging panel for the City West Housing Trust’s Make a Difference (MAD) Awards 2012.

Baroness Helen Newlove will help decide which City West customers have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a positive impact in their community over the past year and present the winners with their accolade at the awards ceremony on Tuesday 25^th September.

Baroness Newlove, who presented last year’s MAD Awards, became a community campaigner five years ago, following the death of her husband.

Garry was murdered outside their Warrington home after he confronted a gang of youths.

Since then, Baroness Newlove has become a champion for safer neighbourhoods. Her work with the Government and local communities to make Britain’s towns and cities safer led to her being awarded a peerage in 2010.

Baroness Newlove said: “I’m delighted to be involved in judging City West’s Make a Difference Awards this year. It’s a real privilege to again be involved in recognising the fantastic efforts of the unsung heroes in West Salford and the valuable difference they make to help improve local neighbourhoods and communities.”

City West residents are being urged to nominate their pro-active neighbours, groups or organisations that carry out exceptional work in the community.

David Cummins, Director of Neighbourhoods and Communities at City West Housing Trust, said: “This year’s finalists can be nominated by their friends, neighbours or colleagues for their selfless and exceptional commitment to others.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for you to give recognition to the unsung heroes who make a real difference to the areas where you live.  More often than not these people don’t realise that what they are doing is special, this is your opportunity to say thank you.”

Last year’s winners were treated to an evening of celebration which commemorated the dedication of the ordinary people who go above and beyond to make their neighbourhoods a better place to live.

Joan Hayes, who won the Number One Neighbour award with her husband Granville, said: “We’ve lived here for over 20 years and we just try to help and do whatever we can. If anybody wants any support and we can help them, then we will. People say that there’s nothing to do around here but if you get involved then there’s plenty to do!”

Another of last year’s winners was Little Hulton’s Stuart Campbell who earned the Green Achiever acknowledgement, he said: “The award has been hugely appreciated. I’ve been working on the allotment in Little Hulton for three years and our intentions are to give the produce we grow to the local cafes and the local community.”

Nominations are now open for the nine award categories, which are as follows:

Young rising star – Awarded to a young person under 25 years old, who has had a positive impact on their community, has shown initiative, cared for others or is an inspiring role model.

Greatest Group – Awarded to an outstanding group of people who get involved in their local community and have a positive impact.

Number One Neighbour – Awarded to that special someone who is always there when you need them, looks out for their neighbours and goes out of their way to help other people.

Star for Seniors – Awarded to those people who work tirelessly to improve the lives of older people.

Community Leading Light – Awarded to someone who makes an exceptional contribution to the community, goes out of their way to improve their neighbourhood and empowers others to make a positive contribution.

Charity Supporter – Awarded to someone within your community who supports a local charity through fundraising or awareness raising.

Green Achiever – Awarded to those who have introduced a green initiative into their community or have carried out an event to improve their local environment.

Fairway Champion – Awarded to those who champion minority groups, improve accessibility to services and work positively to stamp out harassment, discrimination or intimidation.

Representative Role Model – Awarded to a customer who has been an exceptional ambassador for City West, champion’s service changes positively and represents other customers.

For a nomination form please contact your local neighbourhood office or complete one online, the closing date for nominations is 31^st July 2012.

If you have any questions or need help completing this form, please contact Loren Simmons on 0161 605 7296 or email involved@citywest.org.uk