Totnes Town Council has announced the 2024 Totnes Community Award winners. Congratulations to Jo Yeo, winner of the individual Community Award for her work helping low-income families through Food For Children Totnes. 3rd Totnes Scout Group Leaders and Sharpham Park Run are joint winners of the group Community Award. This year, a very special Lifetime Achievement award was also presented to Sue Holmes. This was in recognition of her decades of volunteer work preserving and enhancing Leechwell Gardens.
Earlier this year, Totnes Town Council invited local residents to nominate an individual or community group that they felt should be recognised for their good works in Totnes. 21 nominations were received for 14 different groups or individuals who make a difference to the community in many different ways. These included: caring and supporting those in need, working with young people or the elderly, improving the appearance of the town, or helping people’s health and feeling of togetherness through art, exercise and sport. The nominations were reviewed by councillors in April and the winners were presented with a pewter medal featuring the town crest at the Annual Town Meeting in the Civic Hall on 29 May 2024.
Cllr Emily Price, Mayor of Totnes said: “These awards celebrate those people in Totnes who give up their time to make a difference to our community. Thank you to everyone who nominated a group or individual to be recognised with an award. With so many people helping others in such varied ways, it was a very difficult job to choose our winners. I send my thanks and congratulations to everyone who was nominated.”
The 2024 Totnes Community Award (Individual) nominees were:
- Diana Cusack for her work with Totnes Gardens, planting, improving and maintaining a large number of flower beds in and around Totnes.
- Sue Holmes for her decades of outstanding volunteer work preserving and enhancing the beloved Leechwell Gardens through the Leechwell Gardens Association.
- Dave Mitchell for his active, consistent, and committed work on Leechwell Garden.
- Ben Reynolds who volunteered to be the Group Scout Leader, brining scouting back to Totnes, starting from scratch.
- Louise Spencer who plans, organises, and delivers fundraising events for the Poppy Appeal, raising thousands of pounds for the charity.
- Kit Stevens from Stepping Stones CIC (the Totnes Foodbank), for her work to establish and run this.
- Graham Walker for his inspirational fundraising for Totnes charities, including Totnes Caring.
- Liz Waterson for her work as a Street Pastor.
- Jo Yeo for launching Food For Children Totnes CIC to provide free meal kits during school holidays to low-income families with children who attend local schools.
The 2024 Totnes Community Award (Group) nominees were:
- 3rd Totnes Scout Group Leaders for re-establishing a Scouts group in Totnes over the last year, which is now welcoming over 50 young people each week aged 6-14 years old.
- The Mansion Volunteers for their work to ensure the Mansion can function.
- Sharpham Park Run which has set up a free, weekly, healthy community event that regularly attracts over 100 participants of all levels and ages.
- Stepping Stones Food Bank, which provides an independent Food Bank as well as support through social activities, cooked meals, and a food club for those on lower incomes.
- Totnes Caring, for supporting people to live as independently as possible, connecting to their community, to increase their health and wellbeing.