Mid Sussex Applauds 2022: awards ceremony celebrates our community champions

The event on Sunday, November 20, was hosted by Mid Sussex District Council chairman Margaret Belsey.

The awards were presented by their sponsors and by the High Sheriff of West Sussex James Whitmore.

Councillor Belsey said: “It is always heartening to hear these positive and supportive stories from our community. This lovely event allows us to appreciate and celebrate residents for the amazing activities across our district.”

There were eight categories.

The winner of the Business in the Community Award (sponsored by ShopAppy) was Old Dunnings Mill. Manager Lisa McNamara has supported East Grinstead community group Being Neighbourly and a group called Chatter Chat, which helps isolated elderly neighbours meet up. Cox Skips and Tulleys Farm were highly commended.

The winners of the Good Sport Award (sponsored by Places Leisure) were Ray and Lesley Dennis who have devoted thousands of hours to build Ashurst Wood Junior Football Club to its current high standard. The highly commended individuals were John Kendall (posthumous) of West Hoathly Football Club and Michael Wain of Matt Fiddes Martial Arts.

The Lifetime Achievement Award (sponsored by JobsGoPublic) was won by Christina Chelmick, a founder member of Good Neighbours Care. This organisation has 150 volunteers who help clients organise transportation for shopping, hospital and dentist appointments. The highly commended individuals were Andrew Thurgood (posthumous) and Jon Martin.

The winner of the Stronger Communities Award (sponsored by CJ Founds Associates) was Dandylion Style in Ardingly. Recently owner and founder Igor hired a van, which he drove to Ukraine after encouraging residents to fill it with essential items. Burgess Hill Bonfire Society and Sayers Common Community Shop were highly commended.

The Stronger Together Award (sponsored by The Orchards) was won by Trevor Carpenter from Lindfield’s Repair Café, with Lindy Elphick, Lyn (Dizzie) Howes and Eva Sonneveld being highly commended.

The joint winners of the Young Volunteer of the Year Award (sponsored by Clarion Futures) were Francesca Butler-King and Jessica Divall. Francesca is a member of Woodside Netball Club and coaches children aged five to 12. Jessica is a volunteer with sessions run by Albion in the Community and has completed more than 100 hours of volunteering. She also became a volunteer with Burgess Hill Little Theatre. Kieron Fox and Millie Hill were highly commended.

The Take Pride in Mid Sussex Award (sponsored by ID Verde) was won by both The Monday Group and John Pierpoint. The Monday Group build and maintain stiles across the district, while John has served Balcombe as an un-paid village ranger for decades. Mark Plass, Derek and Brenda Sisson were highly commended.

The Young Achiever Award (sponsored by HSBC) went to Jessica Richardson Blunt with Harri Gander and Kobi Ghasemi being highly commended. Jessica joined Woodlands Meed three years ago and showed resilience through major changes in her life.

The Peer Nominated Award went to The Monday Group. Visit www.midsussexapplauds.co.uk.