Pride in Marple Awards 2010

On Tuesday 23 November 2010 Marple Area Committee presented the first ever "Pride in Marple Awards". The presentation ceremony was held at High Lane Village Hall and the master of ceremonies was Councillor Chris Baker, who is the current chair of Marple Area Committee. Entertainment was provided by Marple Hall School Swing Band and Marple Band and refreshments were by "Reflections". Photographer Mike Frisbee was there to ensure that everything was recorded for posterity and he has kindly agreed that small versions of his photographs can be used on the Marple Website and in the Virtual Tour.

High quality prints or large digital copies of Mike's photos can be ordered directly on-line from:
www.fris.co.uk using the password "Marple".

The Marple Area Committee wanted to celebrate the achievements of the Community by recognising the invaluable contribution local people make to their community. There are lots of people in our communities who give up their time to make their neighbourhood a better place and the Marple Area Committee wanted to celebrate their contribution.

All individuals or groups who received an award earned this recognition for their hard work and dedication and all were nominated by members of the public. The awards were open to anyone who lives, works or takes part in a voluntary activity in Marple, Marple Bridge, Mellor, High Lane, Strines and Compstall. Judging was by a Panel including local Councillors and representatives of partner organisations.

The 2010 Award Categories and Winners
Including the words used by Councillor Baker to describe their achievements:

Beyond the call of duty at work (for excellent customer service)
This category is for employees of a business or organisations in the area who regularly give over and above for their customers, providing an excellent customer service.

Winner in this category is Nigel Hyde. Nigel is the District Centre Ranger for Marple, keeping the centre of Marple clear of litter. Nigel is known for his efficiency and good humour. In addition to his typical duties Nigel acts as the eyes and ears of other agencies, reporting problems of graffiti and damage to pavements and reporting areas suffering from drug problems and solvent abuse. Perhaps the best way to sum up the services that Nigel brings is in the words of the person who nominated him and that is " Nigel has become a vital part of the Marple Team, and is much appreciated by all the community. He is a credit to himself and a much loved asset to Marple "

Runner - up in this category is Karen Barnes. Karen is a community recycling officer and is known for her commitment to deal with issues in an effective and timely manner. Councillors have received a lot of feedback from local residents impressed with the service provided by Karen and she is often described as a 'pleasure to deal with.' One of Karen's best attributes is that she is an excellent communicator and she always keeps people up to date on the action she takes to deal with a range of issues she encounters each day.

Contribution to Sport
This category is for both those who have achieved great things for their clubs or individually, and for the ‘unsung’ contribution to sport, such as those involved in coaching or the person who washes all the dirty kits and drives the players to the match.

Winner in this category is John Bellis. John has held nearly every position at Mellor Football Club including player, manager, vice- chairman, secretary and is now assistant manager and a member of the Committee. John is described as "an inspiration to young players with his enthusiasm and his fitness." In spite of being airlifted to hospital earlier in the year when a tree fell on him, John was back as Marple FC taking part in training sessions before his stitches were even removed!!. Like Ian, John is one of those unsung heroes without whom voluntary groups and clubs would collapse. In the last 30 years John has only missed a handful of matches as a player or official. Whether he is ferrying players about, collecting subs, sweeping water from the pitch or painting the perimeter fence John is always first in line to lend a hand.

Runner up in this category is Ian Halford. Ian has been chairman of High Lane Cricket Club for the past 5 years. When he took over the club was on the verge of folding, in financial trouble and with membership levels dropping particularly amongst youngsters. Thanks to changes implemented and driven through by Ian such as liaising with local schools and organising fundraising the situation I'm glad to say has been turned around. There is now a thriving junior section and improvements to the clubhouse including new windows and electrical shutters have been made. As if his role as Chairman does not keep Ian busy, he also Umpires 90% of the junior games and coaches every week at practice.

Outstanding Young Person’s Sporting Achievement
This award is to recognise a great sporting achievement by a local young person.

Winner of this category is Joe Cash. Joe has been and continues to be one of Marple cricket clubs rising stars. Thanks to his sporting achievements this year, he has put both the club and Marple on the map. In addition to representing Marple Cricket Club Joe was also selected to play for Cheshire U17's and the Cheshire Development XI. Joe scored 220 senior runs and took 65 senior wickets making him one of the leading wicket takers in the league and it was largely due to the contribution made by him that the Marple First XI won the league and were promoted to Cheshire County League 1. In recognition of his achievements Joe was voted ' Young Player of the Year' for the Cheshire County League receiving his honour from former England cricketer Robert Croft.

Community Spirited Business
For a business that goes out of its way to help the community.

Winner in this category is Marple Business Forum. The Business Forum has consistently initiated, delivered and contribute to a variety of events in Marple, promoting the village for the benefit of residents, shoppers and visitors. The Forum initiated the Marple loyalty card and enthusiastically supported the Council's shop local campaign, which without the support of local businesses would not have been the success that it was. The Forum has supported the Marple Carnival, the Marple Locks Festival and recently the hugely successful Marple Festival. The Marple Christmas Cracker is an example of the effort the Forum puts into providing attractions, activities and performances that not only benefit Marple but showcase the talents of local groups and individuals.

Runner - Up in this category is the Marple Co-op, who support many community activities in Marple. They regularly supply raffle prizes, for example they donated a Ł100.00 hamper to Marple Festival and they give space in store for many local charities to sell raffle tickets and raise money. Staff at the Co-op are more than helpful and regularly help community ventures and are always willing to publicise local activities.

The first certificate was awarded to Tony Wright of Wright Hire in Hawk Green. Tony was not at the presentation but is known to be a very public spirited person and at his own expense has improved the area around the canal bridge adjacent to Goyt Mill which involved repairing a fence and laying a new path which has completely transformed the area. Tony has also taken the initiative to improve other pathways in the area.

The second certificate was awarded to Marple Festival Committee. The Committee came into being to build on the success of the recent Food and Drinks Festivals and developed these one day events into a 2 week arts and cultural festival culminating in the Food and Drinks Festival and the inaugural Festival Ball. This years Festival was a tremendous success and is a testimony to what can be achieved not only by the dedication of the organising committee but also the willingness of local businesses, schools, churches, clubs and societies to work together for the benefit of the community.

Environment Champion
This award is for those making positive contributions to improving or protecting the environment, over a wide area, or doing something very local such as in the local park.

The winners are the Friends of Mellor Park. The group was formed about 10 years ago and began by maintaining the Mellor War Memorial Gardens in conjunction with Stockport Council. In 2000, the Friends of Mellor Parks took on the project of restoring the Mellor Memorial Park, the War Memorial and its immediate surroundings. The size of the project meant that the work had to be done in stages and would rely heavily on the goodwill of volunteers. Outcomes - grassing over some flower beds to give the lawn a better shape; removing overgrown Lleylandii, pruning trees and shrubs and clearing undergrowth. Mellor primary schools have been involved planting over 1500 daffodil and bluebell bulbs and in recent years 160 sunflowers have been introduced to provide additional colour to the garden. Volunteers have attended the garden every two weeks and in 2009 a new feature entrance gate was installed at the Parkside entrance to the garden. The Friends Group are currently working towards achieving a ' Green Pennant Award.'

The first runner up in this category is Nigel Hyde. As stated previously, Nigel has made an enormous difference to the local environment in and around Marple. His litter collecting and general 'housekeeping' duties have proved highly beneficial - his efforts to combat fly tipping, graffiti and general untidiness have all been tackles with vigour on his part.

Second Runner up is Rachel Sewart. Since joining the family which run the Roman Lakes Leisure Park, Rachel has been active in encouraging the ecological aspect of the organisation and took a leading role in forming the ' Friends of our Valley' which promotes the conservation, enhancement and use of the Goyt Valley between Marple Bridge and Strines. Rachel encourages bird watching, fishing canoeing, the use of nature trails, walking, mountain climbing, biking and horse riding and she is making great efforts to improve the area through activities such as hedge planting, repairing stone walls and sowing wild flower seeds. Rachel has also been successful in securing grants to support these projects.

Final Runner up is The Friends of Marple Memorial Park. They are an extremely hard working Friends Group who have been instrumental in transforming Marple Memorial Park into a fantastic Park. The have regular working parties, whatever the weather - clearing litter, planting plants and bulbs, varnishing the wood sculptures and have helped to plan many of the improvements which have occurred in the park. They have been able to draw in funding which has resulted in improvements to the Children's Play area and regularly organise bowling tournaments. Their efforts have resulted in the park being an extremely popular destination for people of all ages, all year round.

The first certificate was awarded to Marple Business Forum for their role in the launch of the Greener Cleaner Business Awards. The Awards aim to improve the environmental quality of the District Centres and the Business Forum worked in unison with Alan Whitfield the Area Conditions Officer and District Steward Nigel Hyde to help make the scheme a success. It is a great example of businesses and Council officers working together to improve the quality of the local environment. To date 14 businesses have achieved a bronze award and are now working towards a silver award.

The second award of a certificate goes to The Friends of Rose Hill Station. The Friends Group has worked tirelessly to enhance the appearance of Rosehill Station by painting, planting and clearing the local area. Their efforts are clear for all to see and they have without doubt made a real difference.

Winner in this category is PCSO Wendy Warburton. Wendy is the PSCO who covers High Lane and Marple. She makes herself highly visible and provides an excellent service to residents which I for one, greatly appreciate. She is always ready to visit residents to discuss problems and her manner is cheerful, positive and helpful.

The runner up in this category is the East Area Neighbourhood Policing Team led by Inspector Brendan O'Brien. As an individual, Brendan leads his team with great enthusiasm and thanks to this and the hard work of dedicated officers crime in the East area of the borough has declined markedly over the last 2-3 years. The team now has a visible presence in the local community and residents have much more confidence in the police. Results are clear for all to see - lower crime and the streets are safer.

Volunteer of the Year
This category is for an individual, or a group, who make a real difference to their community through their volunteering, such as through a residents association or other community group.

The winner in this category is Mark Whittaker. Mark was the founder of the Marple website which has grown tremendously over the years and is now a main source of information for people wanting to find out about Marple. Mark in his role as webmaster updates the site on a weekly and sometimes daily basis, providing details of events, organisations and a fantastic photographic archive. The photographs provide an invaluable record of Marple and the surrounding area over the last 100 years. In addition to the vast number of hours that Mark has dedicated to this venture, he is also a valued member of the Friends of Marple Memorial Park and Mark has been heavily involved in the improvements to the Park in recent years.

The first runner up in this category is Robert Taylor. Robert volunteers his time selflessly to the High Lane community. Robert is the volunteer verger at the St Thomas Church, High Lane, a role which was particularly important during the recent interregnum. Now the new Vicar is installed, Robert's role is just as valuable - many times he is the first to offer support and encouragement to other volunteers and much of the good work he does goes unseen. Robert is also a member of the Governing Body at High Lane School.

The second runner up is June Gibbs. June has been a friend of High Lane Park for many years. In 2008 June, together with her team of friends decided that they wanted to improve the older children's play area in the park. June went about consulting various organisations and schools to find out what it was the children wanted - there were many meetings and June let the team of volunteers exceptionally, the result of all the hard work was that the Friends Group succeeded in getting a Community Spaces Grant from Groundwork and match funding from Stockport Council. June put in many, many hours of work on the project and without her drive and input it is safe to say it would not have been completed. June wasn't finished. She also organised a big launch event to show off the new facilities last summer, attended by the Minister for Communities and Local Government. The play area is fantastic with many children using it regularly.

The first certificate was awarded to High Lane Village Hall Volunteer Committee. The Hall is a registered charity and in November 1995 it was ravaged by fire. The Village decided that it was to be rebuilt with the modern brick building which are in today - which Princess Anne officially opened in January 2001. The Hall itself is used by many local groups and provides accommodation for various activities and is a fantastic resource for the local community and that of Marple as a whole.

The second certificate is awarded to Marple Civic Society. Over many years the Society has worked tirelessly to improve the environment of Marple and in many ways helps to preserve our heritage. There membership has increased in recent years which provide a good indication of how many residents of Marple consider their environment and heritage to be important.