Well done people – you all deserve your time in the spotlight for your efforts...

Community Gateway Association hailed its Stars at Deepdale
Outstanding Achievement award winner Bill ThompsonOutstanding Achievement award winner Bill Thompson
Outstanding Achievement award winner Bill Thompson

Community Gateway Association (CGA) has celebrated its best tenants at a glittering awards night at Preston North End’s Invincibles Suite.

Mick Noblett, Preston Council’s Head of Leisure, Society and Service Industries, was there to present the Community Stars 2013 honours, including Bill Thompson, who picked up the Outstanding Achievement Award.

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Here are the winners and the association’s explanation of why they deserve them!

Outstanding Achievement award winner Bill ThompsonOutstanding Achievement award winner Bill Thompson
Outstanding Achievement award winner Bill Thompson

Good Neighbour Award: 
Susan Paterson – Eliot Close

Susan has a real desire to help others from her community. She works hard, acting as a focal point for vulnerable tenants and residents who don’t feel confident enough to report issues themselves.

Susan has been described as “always friendly and willing to help her neighbours, a neighbourhood champion”.

Environmental Award: 
Food Co-Op Volunteers

This group of volunteers has been responsible for promoting the food co-op. Since the start of the project, nearly 2,000 bags of affordable fruit and vegetables have been delivered to our communities.

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Going from humble beginnings of just two distribution points, there are now six points covering most of Preston. The group always puts a smile on the face of the people receiving their bags of fresh food.

CommUnity Individual: 
Fay Malyon

Fay first became involved in her local community three years ago when she took her own children along to the Timeout Group.

Now she organises original activities for local youngsters. Whether it’s a one-off event, such as the Royal Wedding, or an annual event like Easter, her original and creative ideas engage young people in her community.

Thanks to Fay’s amazing efforts, the group has grown from eight children who attended when she first started, to now hosting up to 40 young people and their parents.

CommUnity Group: Larches and Savick Steering Group

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This group is made up of local people aged 12-70, and they have gone from strength to strength over the past few years.

They are involved in numerous community activities, making a real difference to people living in their area.

One of these activities is to reduce speeding on the estate: The Healthy Street 20 is plenty” campaign has seen the group apply for funding to install speed indicators around the area. They have also been successful in raising money for CCTV cameras covering the local shops to be installed.

Outstanding Achievement: 
Bill Thompson

Our outstanding achievement winner has been an active member in their community for many years, a true community champion.

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Bill has been a leading light, changing not only the face of their community but also changing its spirit.

A very modest person, he will tell you that this could not have happened without the help of others.

That may be correct, but it also needs a person who can take all that energy and focus it, somebody who leads from the front.

Whether this is running the local kids club, organising community clean ups, being chair of the local PACT, hosting community sports days, consultation events or days out, Bill has been there.

Bill has been described as “generous”, “kind”, “extremely likeable” and “a major asset who always puts his community first”.

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