Worthing Community Awards 2024 - the winners and why they won
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00:00So tonight's Dad of the Year goes above and beyond. He's become his daughter's full-time
00:07carer, and he's always happy to help and never complains. He collects unwanted food at the
00:14end of the day from supermarkets and gives it away on the Orleo app. He can sometimes
00:20have over 250 requests, and well over 20 people collecting from him each day. Now, he will
00:29absolutely insist on coming to every medical appointment for his daughter. He does all
00:36of this aged 76 whilst caring for his daughter and her cats. He absolutely is one in a million.
00:45Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the Dad of the Year this year is Phil Robson.
00:52I feel humbled by all the other people who've won. The carers, the fundraisers, they're
00:58all winners to me. Yeah, they're all special people. I'm just a dad who does what dads do.
01:03That's what I think of.
01:05Yeah, but you do a lot of great stuff.
01:07Yeah, but you do a lot of great stuff.
01:09Well, I try to be a good parent, and you never stop being a parent. You always, it doesn't
01:15matter how old your kids are, you always do what they need to do.
01:19And you're doing that brilliantly.
01:21This teacher welcomes children and parents to her school, putting everyone at ease as
01:27they embark on their learning journey. She makes a conscious effort to connect with each
01:33child and understands their unique personalities and needs. Showing compassion and support
01:40to all the children and parents in her care helps them ease into school life. Her passion
01:48for teaching, dedication to her students, and exceptional ability to create an inclusive
01:55and engaging learning environment makes her more than deserving for the title Teacher
02:01of the Year. So ladies and gentlemen, the Teacher of the Year, see they never give you
02:06a first name, Mrs Metcalf.
02:11How long have you been a teacher?
02:13Well, I've been working in education for over 20 years, but I've only actually been a real
02:19life teacher for two years.
02:21And how are you loving it?
02:23It's the best job in the world.
02:25That is what you want to hear, isn't it? Because you don't even have teachers here, so that
02:28is good. I'm the grandson starting school in September. He's very excited.
02:35It's the best, honestly. It's the best job in the world because childhood is so, it's
02:42a lucky place to be and I just want to enable every child to enjoy their childhood and to
02:48be the best they can be, so this is an absolute shock. I thought it was a joke, so this is
02:54a shock to me. Thank you.
02:56Well, you are our Teacher of the Year.
02:57The Making a Difference Award has made a difference by creating a club for people on their own
03:04who come together every other month to meet with others experiencing isolation. The club
03:12is fully inclusive and those with physical learning disabilities are welcomed and embraced.
03:19Now, she has created a family with sandwiches, cake, tea and coffee, along with first class
03:26entertainment to banish loneliness for a while. She has spoken in Parliament and is truly
03:34making a difference to help fight against loneliness and social isolation.
03:40So, ladies and gentlemen, the winner tonight of the Making a Difference Award is Janice Mott.
03:46Can't believe it, can you?
03:49Oh, bless you.
03:50Well, listen, you are the person who's right tonight. Anything you might want to say quickly?
03:55Well, actually, it's Loneliness Awareness Week this week and the theme this year is
04:05Random Acts of Connectedness. So, if you see someone who doesn't have a smile on their
04:13face, give them yours. Thanks, everyone.
04:18Beautiful. Thank you, Janice. Thank you, Mel.
04:22Now, the winning charity provides wonderful creative and learning opportunities for adults
04:28with learning disabilities. They work day to day with some of the most vulnerable members
04:34of our community. They build self-worth and acceptance through art, drama, singing, cooking
04:42and providing an inclusive place for individuals with disabilities to just express themselves.
04:49Now, they provide a beautiful and safe space where everyone is part of something special
04:55and they say the staff are absolutely brilliant. I can imagine they are. They're calm and encouraging
05:01and positive. Many congratulations are awarded this evening for the winner of the Charity
05:07of the Year are Superstar Arts.
05:11It's about supporting people like myself and my friends with learning disabilities and
05:18the staff there are amazing and we wouldn't be there without them.
05:23I bet you wouldn't be, absolutely. How long has it been going?
05:26I co-founded it 11 years ago and we've just grown and grown ever since. There's been a
05:32need in the community so we've just responded to that need and got bigger and bigger every
05:37year so we just welcome everybody that wants a space with us.
05:41She's involved with the Green Fingers Governing Project in collaboration with Springfield
05:47Infant School where she has open and honest conversations with infant and nursery aged
05:54children about Down Syndrome. She loves to tell people how that extra chromosome just
06:01makes her feel more social and doesn't stop her doing the things that she loves.
06:07There are, as you can imagine, so many nominations for this amazing young woman showing how positive,
06:14caring and brave she is. But all said, she's incredible, wonderful and deserving of such
06:22an award. Let's show that the winner of our very first award this evening, the Disability
06:27Awareness Award is Lisa Ansori. Now this young lady has been amazing at helping her mum set
06:34up a charity after she lost her dad at such a young age. She's there to help other children
06:41who, like her, are grieving, making sure they feel they are not alone. She's a youth ambassador,
06:48inspiring others to be kind to themselves in their own grief journey and support them
06:54in such a way that children and young people can relate to. Now in summary, she is kind,
07:00caring and has a passion for young people's mental health. She champions their voices
07:05and gives them a safe place to be heard. So ladies and gentlemen, the winner tonight of
07:10the Millie Stoner Award for Courage and Bravery is Millie Sheppard. Now this young man continues
07:17to smile despite the challenges he's faced on a daily basis related to his physical disability.
07:24He's such a happy, positive young man and has raised over ÂŁ7,000 for charity, giving
07:32back to those in need, desperate in their own struggle, which is a great achievement.
07:37So it's well known, popular and a happy young man in and around Worthing. Now the judges
07:42felt he should be very proud of what he has achieved and deserve recognition. So the winner
07:48tonight, this is a special Judge's Choice Award that came in at the last minute. Congratulations
07:53to Harry Radcliffe. Now these two amazing individuals care for four adults in their
08:01home, mum, dad, nan and grandad, who all have complex medical conditions. Now as well as
08:10attending school and college, they help care for their family on a daily basis, from cooking
08:16and cleaning, helping with medicines, cutting hair, mowing the grass, hoovering, DIY, they
08:23literally do it all. The pair are amazing and they don't even realise it. Well, the
08:31winners of the Young Carer Award for this year are Emily and Harrison. Now winning this
08:37award is a testament to the team's skill, teamwork and commitment to excellence. So
08:44this sports team are an integral part of Worthing community and a real asset for the youth of
08:50Worthing. They have a successful Division 1 men's team, but also have multiple youth
08:57teams in all ages and abilities, enabling children and adults to develop a passion for
09:05sport. So their unique coaching model creates a real family atmosphere and their community
09:11spirit is proven by their fantastic support to a local charity, Billy and Beyond. They
09:21bring the community together and those involved love being part of the club. And along with
09:26the great junior programme, they also offer coaching in local schools, holiday camps,
09:32while supporting local campaigns against bullying and the dangers of taking recreational
09:37drugs. The winner of the sports team of the year is Worthing Thunder. So our winner is
09:44a very special soul, who gives his time and energy to host a regular pub quiz, raising
09:51money for a local hospice. His charisma and commitment sees him regularly go above and
09:58beyond to raise as much money as possible for charity. He's been hosting the quiz for
10:04five years, helping to raise in the region of ÂŁ15,000 for Survivor Start-Up with Food
10:12Home. So let's hear it for the winner of the year award, congratulations, Tony Walter.
10:19This carer supports adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues. The work is extremely
10:26demanding and the constant challenges her colleagues have to deal with on a daily basis
10:31will make most of us run to the heels. Her dedication to work and positive attitude,
10:38whilst ensuring she is there for every one of her service users, deserves recognition.
10:45So our carer of the year this year, congratulations goes to Katrina Cossey. The nomination says
10:53Yes, my neighbour has been such a wonderful neighbour. When I'm ill, she brings me soup
10:59and meals. She will take me to hospital for appointments and also takes my husband to
11:05the doctors. She does all of this and more and asks nothing in return. She's always there
11:13to help. So ladies and gentlemen, the good neighbour for 2024 is Jenny Gritzi.
11:20Now, after the sad loss of her son, this amazing mum has tirelessly campaigned to raise awareness
11:27and education around drug use here in the local community. Through an absolute tragedy,
11:35she now and somehow found the strength to build an organisation in memory of her son.
11:42She is constantly raising funds and awareness for her passion of saving other parents from
11:49going through what she went through. Ladies and gentlemen, the mum of the year award is
11:55Nikki Parish. So the nomination has stood out to the judges read like this. When I lost
12:01my son in 2020, my best friend supported me and has been an incredible tower of strength
12:08helping me through the most difficult times. She was the person who drove me to King's
12:14Hospital when my son was transferred there, knowing it was likely she would be driving
12:20home a mother who had just lost her child. She didn't shy away from the most difficult
12:26thing and I've never had to deal with them or them since. The winner tonight of the best
12:33friend award, congratulations to Amy. Now this amazing lady has been the backbone of
12:41a project for over five years, giving up evenings and weekends to ensure nobody goes without
12:49good quality food. She's helped to provide a safe space once a week at the pop-up food
12:55bank, always ensuring she's available for the chat. On top of this, she has arranged
13:02cinema trips, days out, summer barbecues and has never asked for anything in return.
13:10She has received and achieved all of this whilst working full time and has sacrificed
13:16time with her own family to help others. So let's meet her, the volunteer of the year,
13:23congratulations Lisa Phillips. The outstanding contribution award is to a fantastic example
13:30of the worthy community. He's always the first in line to dedicate his time and energy to
13:37worthy fundraising events. He's actually a bit of a worthy legend. He brings that je
13:43le sais quoi to any event, creating interest from young and old and everyone wants a photo
13:51with him. This winner's involvement is, well, in worthy runs in. With resume, the Sticks
13:59Polyers. As a board member of several local charities and a seasoned figure in local politics,
14:06his passion for improving lives is clear and he is the driving force behind everything
14:12he turns his hand to. So ladies and gentlemen, the very first outstanding contribution to
14:19worthy awards of the worthy community awards 2024.
14:23Boss.
14:36You are all absolutely amazing and I'm completely lost for words. So I'm going to read, if it's
14:41okay with you, Simon, something from a very special couple. Thank you for such a wonderful
14:46evening. The food was absolutely delicious. It was so exciting to see all the lovely awards
14:52being presented. You truly did Millie Stone a proud male tonight. Her spirit is here tonight.
15:01You are a valuable member of our worthy community. It was also fantastic to hear the event raised
15:11a lot of money for such an amazing cause. Thank you Mill for everything. James and Shelley
15:16Stoner, ladies and gentlemen.