On Saturday the Chairman of the Vale of White Horse District Council, Cllr Mike Badcock, welcomed volunteers and their guests from across the Vale for the annual Community Awards Lunch. This is an occasion to properly recognise the contribution made by those people across the district who give up their time to help make our towns and villages such great places to live. Below are details of this year's winners... Keith Beswick from Abingdon. Keith has been nominated for an award for his work as Chairman of the Harwell Village Hall Trustees. Keith has worked tirelessly for more than five years to rescue the building. Community fund raising has raised more than £250k and due to Keith’s hard work the village has a hall that is fit for the next generations. Nigel Warner from Abingdon. Nigel has been nominated for service to the community of Abingdon. Steve Rich from Abingdon. Steve has been nominated for an award on behave of Abingdon Town Band for over 50 years service supporting the community of Abingdon. Andree Curtis from Faringdon. Andree has been employed at Faringdon Leisure Centre for 25 years. During this time she has taken on many roles and is currently the Customer Service Manager. Andree has seen many changes during that time and she has always been supportive to all around her. Andree spends a great deal of time outside her working hours to ensure the centre is a "happy" one. Ian Jones from Shrivenham. Ian has been nominated for his work as Transport Representative for the village. As part of this role he attends meetings with the County Council and bus operators and ensures that the local voice is heard. As a result of his work a 20mph speed limit will be implemented in the High Street which will help to keep residents safe. Ian has recently highlighted with the authorities the increasing population of the vale and the impact that this is having on bus services. Ian has also been instrumental in developing a formal relationship with Network Rail which has proved invaluable in terms of the electrification programme. Ian is described as asset to the village. Claire Whitfield from Uffington. Claire, together with her friend Lucy Palmer, has set up a Vintage Tea Room in Uffington. The Tea Room is a welcoming venue, decorated with their own bunting and painted furniture, which visitors and villagers of all ages appreciate. The venue provides a place for people to meet and enjoy home-made cakes and biscuits. In addition, this enterprising pair have arranged for a ‘not for profit’ Farmers Market to be held at the Hall once a month on a Sunday morning giving people the chance to buy locally sourced provisions on their doorstep. Sophie Sheard from Buckland. Sophie has been nominated for her work with a number of events and institutions in Buckland. She is the Chair of Governors at Buckland School and was the instigator of Buckland Apple day. This is a major fundraising event in the village for the church, school and memorial hall as well as being a wonderful community day. Bob Price from Abingdon. Bob has been nominated by ARCh for his work as a volunteer reading helper. Bob has been a volunteer reader with ARCh since December 2011. He supports 6 and 7 year old boys at Caldecott Primary School in Abingdon where he is highly valued. He combines his ARCh work with other voluntary roles including helping at the Sunday School at Christchurch, Abingdon. Jennifer Pooley from Drayton. Jennifer has been nominated for various activities that help the community of Drayton. Among other things she delivered meals-on wheels and the Chronicle for many years, She was a member of the parish council for 10 years where she was Chair of the Right of Way working group and she has made significant contributions to improving the local footpaths. Lynda Pasquire-Crowley from Lower Radley. Lynda has been nominated for being a committed and active volunteer in Radley. She has been campaigned to save Radley Lakes, is member of the Friends of Radley Station Committee and the Radley Village Shop Association. Basil Crowley from Lower Radley. Basil has been nominated for his work as a major contributor to Abingdon’s Transport 200 campaign group and for his work as Chairman of the Save Radley Lakes group. The work of the group led Npower to make Thrupp Lake available for public use. Since then Basil has been active in protecting the area for wildlife and public access. Steve Terry from East Challow. Steve has been nominated for an award for helping out with many village projects. These have included, making and installing a new sign for the cemetery and restoring seats in the play area. Together with his wife sue, Steve worked to reinstate the allotment site in the village, measuring and marking out plots, organising the ploughing of the ground and installing the water supply. Steve has served 16 years as a parish councillor. Sue Terry from East Challow. Sue has been nominated for an award, in part for her work in reinstating the allotment site with Steve but also for many other community roles. Sue has been a parish councillor for 12 years and during this time she has been involved in: Setting up the village netball team Working with the village school to promote netball Working as the village litter warden Monitoring the village street lights and ensuring any problems are resolved. Overseeing the maintenance of the tennis court and sports pavilion. Jean Grant from Kingston Lisle. Jean has been nominated for an award for seven service as parish council clerk. During this time she has put much of her own time into work on behalf of the village. Her good humour and kindness are valued by everyone. Barbara Clarke from Appleford-on-Thames. Barbara has been nominated for an award for being the mainstay of the Appleford-on-Thames village hall for many years. She takes care of the fabric of the building and organises the letting of the hall. Stella Tidmarsh from Shrivenham. Stella has been nominated for an award because she is actively involved in many activities in the village; including: Playing the piano and organ in local churches. Helping out at Riding for the Disabled. Arranging visits to National Trust properties. Guiding as Ashdown House. Organising monthly Sunday lunches for people living alone. Music lessons for Faringdon Singers Bangers and Videos after school Supply music teacher for local schools And for supporting the late Rev Tidmarsh for over 25 years. Janet Warren from Stanford-in-the-Vale. Janet has been nominated for an award for being a “champion of the village”. She supports many local clubs and is the organiser of the Annual Village Festival for the past 30 years. The festival brings everyone together and is the village event of the year. Debbie Greenfield from Harwell. Debbie has been nominated for an award for organising a Village Safari Supper. This event has grown in popularity so much that this year 153 people attended across 38 host locations. The suppers allow villagers to meet and there is a great community spirit when they meet in the hall at the end of the evening. The event also raises lots of money for charity. John Fisher from Harwell. John has been nominated for an award for his work as Chairman of the Royal British Legion (Harwell) Club. When he took over as Chairman the club was in danger of closing but it is now trading profitably and is looking to the future. Without John’s efforts the club would have folded. Pat Mattimore from Blewbury. Pat has been described as a one woman marvel and she has been nominated for an award for many activities, including: The neighbourhood development plan The Blewbury Village Society Organising weekly afternoon teas in the church Distribution of the Blewbury Bulletin Co-producer of the village calendar Organisation of the summer dance and Christmas carol concert Susie Turnbull from East Hendred. Susie has been nominated for her being and active and effective member of the East Hendred community. She has founded a weekly walking group which has expanded to include social functions. She was a leading force in reviving the village amateur dramatic society and she serves on the committee of the Downs Golden Age (a group for senior residents) and helps run their monthly meetings. Hilary Cakebread-Hall from West Hanney. Hilary has been nominated as she is the organiser and driving force behind the hugely successful Hanney Michaelmas Fayre. A wonderfully popular event that raises significant sums for local charities as well as providing entertainment for the villagers. Alan Pope from Kennington. Alan is well known in the village as he welcomes all new residents and imparts useful local information to them. He has taken responsibility for litter picking in the village for many years and is the eyes and ears of the village, reporting pot holes, faulty street lights and blocked drains to the relevant authorities. Alan has also worked with others to reduce flooding in the village. Pearl Livett from Kennington. Pearl has been nominated for an award for her never ending enthusiasm for the Friends of Kennington Cancer Fund which she started in 1988. During this time the fund has raised over £250,000. David Guyancourt from Abingdon. David has been nominated for his role as Deputy Chairman and Conservation Officer for Abingdon Naturalists Society. He is also Warden of Barton Fields, Abingdon’s riverside wildlife site and conservation area. David leads a group of volunteers to maintain and improve this area. Fay Pendell from Stanford-in-the-Vale. Fay has been nominated for an award in recognition of her outstanding service to the community. Fay is president of the Women’s Institute and is and Explorer Leader with the Explorer Scouts. In addition she is the secretary and driving force behind the Stanford-in-the-Vale Relief in Need Charity which helps the needy within the community. Trevor Cowlett from Kennington. Trevor has been nominated for an award because he has been the musical director of Kennington and District United Church Choir for over 40 years. During this time the choir has raised more than £432,000 for charity. Claire Lewis from Stanford-in-the-Vale. Claire has been nominated for an award for four years work on the pre-school committee. She is currently the treasurer. Claire is always supportive of the pre-school assisting where required and helping out with fundraising activities. Marion Turner from Ashbury. Marion has been nominated for an award for 12 years service on the parish council. Melanie Lane from Faringdon. Melanie has been nominated for an award for her work as Chairperson of the successful Follyfest in Faringdon. Her hard work and determination revived the festival and made it inclusive for the whole town. The event also raises money local charities. Hazel Abraham from East Hanney. Hazel has been nominated because she has successfully managed the village shop for a number of years. During this time she has expanded the range on offer, extended the opening hours and negotiated more shop floor space and storage space. Chris French from East Hanney. Chris has been nominated for his work as Chairman of the Hanney Community Pub Company. He was the mastermind behind the community buy-out of the Plough in West Hanney, ensuring the continuation of a much loved village pub and it’s refurbishment. Kate Anstis from Wantage. Kate is now in her 5th year as an ARCh Volunteer Reading Helper. Kate is highly thought of at the school where she volunteers for motivating the children with her enthusiasm and knowing just what will inspire them. She combines volunteering with a young family of her own. Gillian Moss from East Challow. Gillian has been nominated for an award for giving up a huge amount of her time for the benefit of the village. Together with her husband Gillian has been booking secretary of for the village hall for 11 years. She runs the Silver Threads group which organises trips and entertainment for elderly people in the village. Gillian also set up and runs the Bowen group which is a form of beneficial massage for disabled children. She is actively involved in fund raising for both groups. Robin Moss from East Challow. Robin has been nominated for an award for 11 years service as booking secretary for the village hall; and for his hard work in maintaining the hall and keeping it in perfect condition. John and Hilary Deakin from Baulking. John and Hilary have been nominated for their work to rebuild St Nicholas Church into a superb community room and for Hilary’s work in setting up an email communication network that connects the village.