Town Council Awards 2020 - Trophy Presentation

July 2021 Issue #2

In this edition:

• We take a look back at the Didcot Town Awards held virtually in
December 2020 which had performances from Bernadine’s School of
Dance and singer Maya.

• Photos from the winners of Didcot Town Council Awards receiving their
trophies and certificate last month.

• List of Didcot Town Award nominees and winners from 2020.

DTC ONLINE Issue #2

DIDCOT TOWN AWARDS 2020

Here we take a look back at the virtual Didcot Town Awards held in December 2020 and the presentation of
trophies and certificates to winners in Spring 2021.

The Didcot Town The now Mayor, Councillor Mocky Khan
Council Awards are was Leader of the Council at the time of the
annual awards given
to Didcot residents to awards and enlisted the help of his
celebrate and honour daughters to read out the winner for
their efforts within
the community. ‘Unsung Hero’.

The awards usually take Councillor Eleanor Hards was Mayor
place at Didcot Civic at the time and gave an opening
Hall where all nominees speech to kick of the awards video.
enjoy an evening of
drinks, entertainment, lovely to see the opening speech and nominees and winners
and celebration. winners celebrate on then Councillors celebrate over social
social media. announced the award media.
Unfortunately, in 2020, nominees and winners.
due to the outbreak of At the beginning of the It was a great pick me The awards video also
Coronavirus the awards awards video the Mayor up during lockdown and featured performances
had to be held virtually. at the time, Councillor it was fantastic to see from Bernadine’s Dance
Although it was a Eleanor Hards gave an School, a local club who
different way to run classes ranging
celebrate, it was still from Tap and Ballet to
great fun, and it was Contemporary and
Acrobatics and singer
Maya performed two
Christmas songs which
added to the festive
cheer.

Bernadine’s School of Dance gave a We hope the awards
mid-point acrobatic dance will be back with a bang
next time as we look
performance to upbeat music. forward to celebrating
in person in early 2022.
Singer Maya performed an acoustic rendition
of ‘Jingle Bells’ and closed the awards video
with ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’.

Nominees for the Didcot Town Awards 2020 Winners for the Didcot Town Awards 2020

Sporting Achievement Sporting Achievement
SMAF Oxford
SMAF Oxford
John Houston Young Volunteer
Harwell Harriers Running Club Daniel Lloyd

Young Volunteer / Charity Fundraiser Service with a Smile
Daniel Merritt
Daniel Lloyd
Lincoln Callaghan John Eldridge Award
Robin McStay
Service with a Smile Unsung Hero
Ady Crook
Daniel Merritt
Steven Light Lifetime Achievement
Amira Popa Rachel & Steve Hunter

John Hall Artistic Award
Angels Performing Arts
John Eldridge Award for Voluntary Service Special Award (Covid Hero)

Andy Baker BCAv Hasnath Miah
Robin McStay
Emily Heins Allotment winners

Courtney Hughes BEM New Road Broadway
Claire Hughes Eileen Bracken Mr Mason
Wantage Road Cockcroft
Unsung Hero Colin Churchman Denise Mortimer
Mereland Road Mereland Road
Staff at St Birinus School Mrs Hughes
Staff at Meadows Care Home Mrs Hughes Best Site
Claire Ward & Kaye Wynn (Newlands Avenue Mask The overall Plot winner Broadway

Tree) Mrs Hughes
Ann Paterson
SOFEA Fairshare As we could not have the celebrations we
Trevor Newman usually do in December, we waited until it was
Marianne Slipper safe to do so and presented the winners with
Courtney Hughes BEM
Robin McStay their trophies and certificates in April 2021.
Angels Performing Arts Didcot
Alison Lane See overleaf for photographs of the winners
receiving their awards.
Ady Crook

Lifetime Achievement

Courtney Hughes BEM
Claire Hughes

Rachel & Steve Hunter

Artistic

Angels Performing Arts Didcot
Sophie Purbrick

COVID Hero Award

Hasnath Miah

Sporting Achievement: SMAF Oxford

SMAF Oxford are a games to keep Mitchell and Mark Currie accepting
family run martial arts everyone interested their award from Councillor Hards.
school based in and ended up gaining
Oxfordshire. Father more members during How did you celebrate sessions and provide
and son, Mark and lockdown. The classes your award? classes for all ages and
Mitchell Currie have became like a support abilities and provide
been involved in bubble for the parents We thanked our self-defence classes
martial arts for most of as well as the children. members and thanked too.
their lives and clearly our team. It was a
have a passion for their How did you stay team effort, and we all You can find out more
sport and for the motivated to keep support each other. info at:
community. doing the classes
during lockdown? SMAF Oxford are now smafoxford.com
Throughout lockdown back to in person
how did you keep your We have a great job
classes going? and a fantastic team
around us. We had to
Just one week after keep our energy up to
lockdown was keep the children
announced we had our interested. We loaned
virtual classes in place. some of the children
Initially we lost a few equipment so that they
members however we could keep going so
created courses and they motivated us too.

Young Volunteer: Daniel Lloyd Did you have to stop to students studying
during lockdown? from home.
Daniel Lloyd was we could supply the
nominated for his basics, they could use During lockdown we For more info visit
charity Markers for their budget on mental made up pencil case Markers for
Mindfulness. He health councillors. packs and gave them
collects stationery Mindfulness on
supplies for schools to Where do you collect Facebook.
help them save money the stationary from?
on their school budget. Daniel Lloyd accepting his
Some items are award from Councillor Hards.
How did you get purchased, and some
started on this are donated. We have
project? three collection point
at Didcot Civic Hall, The
Me and my mum Space Store Didcot and
thought that schools The Hive Hut in East
don’t have much Hendred.
access to basics such as
pens, pencils, and glue The donations are then
sticks. We thought if sorted and donated to
schools.

John Eldridge Award: Robin McStay

Robin McStay is the How often do the group Robin McStay accepting his award.
leader for Didcot Health meet up?
Walks, which run twice a 30 of us last time we For more information
week plus social events We meet up on Tuesday were able to do that. visit:
for the walking group mornings at 10am and Most weeks after the
too. have around 20 people walks a small group walkingforhealth.org.uk
walking and then on meet up at a café for a
How and when did you Thursdays at 10am where drink and a chat too.
get involved with the we have around 15 people.
Health Walks?
We also like to organise
I started in 2003 and the social activities for the
walks are part of a group.
nationwide programme
organised by The What kind of social
Ramblers Association. activities does the group
The aim is to promote a take part in?
healthy lifestyle and help
circulation. At Christmas time we
usually go for a carvery
dinner. There was around

Unsung Hero: Ady Crook

Ady Crook was Yasmin was going Ady Crook accepting his award from
nominated for raising through Councillor Eleanor Hards
money for a local child, chemotherapy and
Yasmin who was we wanted to do people cheering me on of the challenge and
diagnosed with something to help. in the street as well as loads of people watched
osteosarcoma in her online. We were hosting on Facebook live.
left femur in February Did you manage to quizzes and bingo nights
2020, just 9 years of reach your £1000 in our cul-de-sac during Yasmin was able to
age at the time. Ady target? lockdown as well to raise watch me spinning on
also raised money for money and for Facebook live from
the ward she was We actually managed something for us all to hospital and was able to
treated in at the to raise £8200 thanks do during lockdown. pick the songs that were
Oxford Children’s to all the supporters. Eutopia Disco came to playing.
Hospital. Half of the money support on the final day
will be going to
Can you tell us a bit Yasmin and half to
about your money Kamran’s Ward at
raising? the Oxford Hospital.

Well, I started on April Wow! That’s
30th and finished on amazing. I saw
May 30th with the aim online that you had
of doing 1000 miles on a lot of supporters
my spin bike and around you.
raising £1000 to help a
family friend, Yas. The support was
amazing. We had

Artistic Award:
Angels Performing Arts

Angels Performing We are friends with Amanda Mann and Jennie
Arts are a Didcot based Andy Baker (the Featherstone accepting their award
performing arts school founder of Play2Give)
who offer dance, and Courtney Huges from Councillor Hards.
drama and singing (the founder of Secret
classes for ages three Santa 365) so we got quizzes. We are going to get the
and up. involved with their team together and go for a
events. Near the beginning of cocktail night to celebrate.
When was the dance We like to give back the first lockdown, we We have a great team of
school started? and have given over delivered 80+ Easter Eggs ten people which is partly
£10,000 in to all the kids in our made up of past students of
We started ten years scholarships. We also dance school and we ours. We might do a
ago here in Didcot and raise a lot of money in- dressed as bunnies which Summer BBQ celebration
surrounding areas as house, and that money they really enjoyed. too.
we come from a dance raised is used for
and performance families which may How did you celebrate For more information you
background. struggle with fees. winning the Artistic can visit:
Award?
We welcome all Did lockdown make it angelsperformingarts.co.uk
abilities and enjoy difficult for classes to
working with local continue?
charities.
We carried on through
How did you become lockdown on Zoom and
involved with local did talent contests,
charities workshops, and family

Lifetime Achievement:
Rachel and Steve Hunter

Rachel and Steve Steve – My dad was a Rachel and Steve Hunter accepting
Hunter have been Scout Leader, and I went their award from Councillor Hards.
volunteering at 23rd from Cub, to Scout, to
Scouts for 20 years, Explorer from ages 14 to meetings but are planning some outside
teaching kids vital 18. partly back in person meetings.
skills and taking them now. We are allowed
on treks and camps in We started volunteering to meet up during the How did you celebrate the
all weather. when our son joined day outside (No award?
Beavers and we just camping), so we are
Have you always carried on – our son is now We watched the awards
been involved with mid-20s. video and were surprised
the Scouts? to win as the other
How did lockdown impact
Rachel – I was a the Scouts?
Brownie, then a girl
guide and a Ranger We teamed up with
from ages 14 to 18. Hagbourne Scout Group to
hold weekly Zoom

Service with a Smile: Daniel Merritt

Daniel was nominated Did Lockdown impact Daniel Merritt accepting his
because during lockdown your businesses? award from Councillor Hards.
he set up a support
group for veterans with Two companies went Football team and are Visit merrittco.co.uk
mental health issues. dormant but two were always open to for more info or to get
busier than ever. We had sponsor more local involved with projects.
He also offers business to work harder than teams.
advice services and runs ever, and they are all
training courses for back up and running
veterans. now.

During lockdown you What are you looking
donated £500 of toys, to do in the future?
what made you think of
doing this? There are a lot of plans
in the pipeline. We
Why not give something currently sponsor
back, not everything is Didcot Under 11 Red
about making money.

COVID Hero: Hasnath Miah young carers and those so I might take a week
without housing. I off.
Hasnath Miah has won to find the shelves enjoy giving back.
this special award for empty. I thought to Do you have any
all the help he has myself, ‘what can I Will you be taking a advice you can share?
given to the do?’ and I realised I break to relax once
community during the could provide free the pandemic is over? If you can donate to
COVID-19 pandemic. meals. We all need to others, you will feel
Hasnath runs local do our bit. I will hopefully have a better. You will feel
Indian restaurant small break to visit better and make a
Indian Dream and since How long have you back home in difference.
the beginning of been working in Bangladesh. I still have
lockdown has been Didcot? some recovery to do You can order from
helping feed NHS staff, after my heart attack, Indian Dream at:
key workers, people I have been with Indian indiandream.co.uk
struggling with income Dream for 1/2 years
and many more. but have lived in Hasnath Miah accepting his
Didcot for 21 years. I award from Councillor Hards.
Hasnath has given moved here for a job
more than 7 thousand and fell in love with the
free meals in just over town and the people.
1 year.
What are your plans
What made you start for the future?
giving out free meals?
I will still be doing free
At the beginning of the food for those in need
pandemic I saw on the during the pandemic.
news an NHS worker
had done a 14hr shift Once the pandemic is
and went to the shops over, I will be doing
free food for those that
are still in need such as