IN PICTURES: Community heroes celebrated at annual awards

The annual Community Spirit Awards once again celebrated all that is good in Calderdale.
Slow The Flow won the Great and Green award. Picture: Chris Lord Photography.Slow The Flow won the Great and Green award. Picture: Chris Lord Photography.
Slow The Flow won the Great and Green award. Picture: Chris Lord Photography.

The Venue in Barkisland was the host to the event, which recognised individuals and organisations that have made a positive contribution to the Calderdale community.

Steve Duncan, CEO of the Community Foundation for Calderdale, which organised the awards, said: “We help local people do extraordinary things together. We fund and support a huge range of activities that help young people, older people and disabled people, as well as homelessness, sports, environmental, education, and mental health projects, plus everything in between.

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“We work with our local communities to inspire and encourage projects that they want to see, to make their neighbourhoods happier, healthier and safer places to be. This makes us uniquely positioned to organise these awards.”

Each year the awards seek nominations from the public, beneficiaries and the community groups and charities themselves. This year over 60 submissions were received, and the judging panel - Sian Rogers from Calderdale Council, Simon Walton from Riley & Co, Steve Duncan from the Community Foundation and Judith Wright from Wright Angle Marketing - shortlisted 35 organisations and individuals. The event was compared by BBC Teesside presenter John Foster and Pulse 2 host Chris Johnson.

The first award of the night, Outstanding Individual Achievement, went to Headmaster of Ravensciffe High School Martin Moorman, who was honoured for his edication to his students and his work to help raise £1.8m of funds to open Ravenscliffe@SpringHall.

The second award of the night went to a shocked Roger Harvey OBE who was surprised with a Lifetime Service Award which was presented by The Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire Ed Anderson.

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Mr Harvey said: “I was extremely flattered and surprised to receive my lifetime service award from the Community Foundation for Calderdale.

“When I was in the company of so many people who were at the awards dinner who give their time and energy to the charities and good causes it makes the award even more humbling.

“As I said on the evening, you get far more out of being involved in the community than you give, and if anyone has spare time to give to help by fundraising or helping with their time I can really say that it will be time well spent.”

Overgate Hospice scooped the third award of the night for Best Marketing, followed by Healthy Minds Calderdale taking the award for the Breakthrough of the Year.

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The fifth award of the night - Young Community Champion - was scooped by seventeen-year-old Kevin Flanagan, who has volunteers with Orange Box for two years, taking on many roles.

The Great and Green Award was scooped by the entirely volunteer led Slow The Flow, who have worked tirelessly since forming after the Boxing Day floods in 2015.

Brodstock Music Festival took the award for Best Fundraising Campaign, while Hebden Bridge based Nova Collective took home the award for Arts and Culture.

The Volunteer of the Year award went to Peggy Williamson, who has volunteered for 25 years at Square Chapel Arts Centre, and volunteers with Oxfam and Calderdale Careers project. and Peggy Bruce, who has volunteered with Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice for many years.

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The award for Best New Charitable Group went to the Puzzle Hall Community Pub, who raised over £300,000 in 64 days to bring the pub back to life.

The final award of the evening, Charity of the Year, went to Halifax Opportunities Trust.

In the past 12 months, they have received recognition for the exceptional quality of provision across its multiple work streams, including all five nurseries it operates now achieving ‘Outstanding’ from Ofsted.

Pictures: Chris Lord Photography.