What an amazing evening we all had at this year's Annual Parish Assembly, which was held at The Centre, Chapel Lane, Swanage on Monday evening, and at which we celebrated the town's incredible volunteers, and local businesses, and all that they do for our community.
Earlier this month, the Community Awards Panel (consisting of Cllr Tina Foster, Town Mayor, Cllr Chris Moreton, Deputy Mayor, Mrs Maggie Hardy, President of the Swanage & Purbeck Rotary, Reverend Ian Bird, Team Rector, Swanage & Studland Ministry, and Niki Clark, Planning & Community Engagement Manager), carefully reviewed the nominations received for the 2024 awards, of which there were 40 in total.
Choosing the winners was no easy task — every nominee has made a meaningful contribution to our community and is deserving of recognition. You’ll notice that one category has more than one award winner, and each recipient is equally worthy of our applause.
And the award winners are…..
ARTS AND HERITAGE - MR HARRY PEAKE (The Swanage School and Peake Performance Academy)
SERVICE WITH A SMILE - MR STUART NORMAN (Melody)
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - JOANNA & AGNES - THE OLD STABLES DELICATESSEN & EATERIE
YOUTH CITIZEN OF THE YEAR - MR PIERRE MARTEL (Project Manager, radio presenter, Purbeck Sounds - 'Voice of Purbeck Youth', and videographer)
COMMUNITY AWARD - MO ANDREWS & DAVID COLLACOTT, DEMENTIA FRIENDLY PURBECK
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR - MR ROSS WAYNE (Durlston Country Park Parkrun, and Purbeck Runners)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT - MR ERIC HUDSON (RNLI, Coastguards, Swanage Carnival...to name but a few!)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT - MR DAVID PIKE (Swanage & Purbeck Rotary, Swanage Drama Group, The Mowlem...to name but a few!)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT - MR NEIL HARDY MBE & MRS MAGGIE HARDY (RNLI Lifeboats, Swanage & Purbeck Rotary, Swanage and Wareham Hospitals, Dorset NHS CCG, Swanage Community Defibrillator Partnership...to name but a few!)
SPECIAL MENTION:
MCALLISTERS PANTRY & PICNIC BAR, CAFE & BAKERY - independent, family-run business, receiving many complimentary comments regarding the sizeable gluten free range of products on offer, and knowledgeable and diligent staff members when dealing with customers’ intolerances. Congratulations team McAllister.
Please also visit the Swanage .News article about the awards:
The Town Council would like to express heartfelt gratitude to all the town’s volunteers and local businesses for their dedication, energy, and enthusiasm. They are the heart of our community, playing a vital role in supporting our towns and villages, especially at a time when public service funding is limited. Their efforts truly make a positive difference, benefitting everyone.
The Council also extends a sincere thank you to the town’s Emergency Services workers for their tireless commitment and the invaluable service they provide to keep our community safe