Volunteers from across the Warwick district applauded for their community spirit at a Leamington awards ceremony

The joint Royal Leamington Spa Rotary Club and The Kingsley School’s Community Spirit Awards were held on Wednesday (May 17) and nine volunteers were chosen from nominations made by Rotary Club members and the school community.

The event was attended by deputy Mayor, Nick Wilkins and was formally opened by Cllr Bill Gifford.

At the event James Mercer-Kelly spoke of how service is an important part of The Kingsley School and Richard Nicholson, principal of the Warwick Independent Schools Foundation, then presented the awards.

Michael Heath, the Rotary Club president, also re-iterated the value of the Awards Scheme. In recognising ‘unsung community heroes’, he said, this event aligned closely with the worldwide organisation’s motto of “service before self”.

Christina McCullough, deputy head at Kingsley voiced the importance of teaching students to value the benefits of service from a young age, while pupils, Maddie, Martha and Eve all expressed the pride and inspiration they had gained from supporting local causes.

Here is a list of the volunteers who were honoured at the ceremony:

Tony Britton – for his tireless support for people living with dementia, their family and carers in Leamington and South Warwickshire. After the death of his wife, Pam, from early onset dementia, Tony founded ‘The Pam Britton Trust for Dementia’.

Amelia Giles – for her inspiring work for people living with disability in the district, as a trustee and volunteer with the ‘Shopmobility Service’ at the Royal Priors. Amelia’s own experience living with a disability since childhood also has been valuable to the service, helping them to meet the needs of their customers.

Heather Haslett – for her contribution to the life and well-being of the community through her many voluntary activities. Heather has played a major role in the ‘Milverton Watch Association’ and has also been involved in the work of the ‘Friends of Foundry Wood’.

Ann Morrison – for her central role in securing the future and funding of the ‘Shopmobility Service’ at Royal Priors and helping to take the service forward, both as a trustee and chair. Ann also volunteers for ‘Achieving Results in Communities’.

Jo Bailey – for her integral role in the creation and development of the Community Spirts Awards. During her time as deputy head of The Kingsley School, Jo worked closely with the Rotary Club to ensure the joint scheme’s success.

Jo Harper – who is a long-term supporter of the WWF, WWF Earth Hour Ambassador and member of the Warwickshire Tree Wardens.

Eve (Kingsley School Year 9 pupil) – for her volunteer work at the Covid-19 vaccination centre at Priory Gate in Coventry. As a Year 7 pupil, Eve spent three to four hours a day at the clinic, mainly supporting the elderly.

Maddie (Kingsley School Year 10 pupil) – who as a Year 8 pupil, donated her cut hair to support the ‘Little Princess Trust’. She also raised more than £1,000.

Martha (Kingsley School Year 9 pupil) – who as a Year 7 pupil raised almost £500 for Guide Dogs through table-top sales and a ‘cuddle and cake’ fundraiser.