Civic Awards 2024 winners
The awards recognise and celebrate people from across Epping Forest district who tirelessly work to support their communities.
This year’s Civic Awards 2024 was held at the Delta by Marriott Hotel in Waltham Abbey on Friday evening (15 March).
Chairman of the Council Councillor Darshan Sunger said:
We hold the Civic Awards to recognise the efforts of the remarkable people, who make a difference and inspire others to do the same. Selfless heroes that strive to make the world a better place, without looking for praise or tribute.
During my time as Chairman of Council I have attended some very special events and have met some equally special characters. There are so many people in our district doing good things and the awards celebrate the people of Epping Forest district and their achievements, successes and unwavering dedication to the area and their communities.
We are also recognising and celebrating our emergency services who are always there when we need them.
Citizen of the Year
Our Citizen of the Year Award recognises just some of the people in the district who go the extra mile to support their communities in so many different ways.
Winner of Citizen of the Year
Phillis Njuguna
Phillis founded the Thrive Survivors Group in Epping to assist those who have been impacted by domestic abuse.
She dedicates her time and efforts to running the group and providing support to participants outside of her regular commitments. Thrive offers a safe and supportive space for attendees to share their stories without fear of judgment and offers confidential assistance and referrals to other services as needed.
Phillis’s dedication and impact in helping survivors reclaim their confidence and empower themselves has inspired others to do the same.
Highly commended
Anne Munro
Anne has dedicated 25 years to the Epping Bowls Club, serving as secretary for over 20 years and mentoring new players. At the age of 80 years old, she continues to compete regularly and has played a key role in raising funds for the club.
In addition, she has been the secretary for the League of Friends of St. Margaret’s Hospital for the past decade, contributing significantly to fundraising efforts.
Anne is also actively involved in other local groups, including the Epping Arts Society and a book club, and serves as the secretary for the Private Road Maintenance of Bell Common.
Throughout her career as a Deputy Head and later a Headteacher, she supported and trained new headteachers, demonstrating her commitment to education and leadership.
Patrick Ward
Patrick has had a significant impact on the community of Chigwell with his active involvement in various initiatives and activities over the years.
Through his dedication as a community activist and member of the Chigwell Resident Association, he has successfully brought people together, enhanced safety, and improved the overall quality of life for residents.
His passion for serving the community remains strong, even as he enters his 80s, and he continues to advocate for important issues and promote dialogue through technology such as the Courtland’s estate WhatsApp group.
Commended
Lorraine Page
Lorraine is dedicated to supporting older people in Nazeing, serving as a community champion for 6 years and leading a day club at Hyde Mead House. She organizes engaging quizzes and outings to canal-ability, ensuring everyone is included.
Lorraine goes above and beyond: ensuring every resident at Hyde Mead House receives a present at Christmas and making alternative arrangements for the day club to still meet during renovations.
She also delivers for the Epping Forest Foodbank, all while working part-time.
Lynne Moir
Lynne, a Epping Forest Community Champion volunteer, is dedicated to making a difference in her community. With support from EFDC, she established a Community Café and a bereavement café at Limes Farm.
Additionally, she opened a Chigwell Tea Room at Victory Hall and obtained a 5-star Food Hygiene rating.
Lynne secured funding from Essex County Council to lead a food education project with Youth Unity, teaching young people how to cook affordable meals. These initiatives aim to combat loneliness, improve mental wellbeing, and support individuals during times of financial difficulty.
Young Citizen of the Year
The Young Citizen of the Year Award is a highly prized and contested award and this year we had a number of outstanding nominations.
Winner of Young Citizen of the year
Sydnae Smith
Sydnae is often relied upon to help care for her ill father at home and she still finds time to support local residents like Susan Cole, who is registered partially sighted and colour blind. She helps Susan with everyday tasks like shopping and choosing outfits.
With over a decade of experience at the 3rd Waltham Abbey Beaver Scouts Group, Sydnae has now become a Young Leader, mentoring younger members and providing extra support to those who lack confidence.
In addition to her work with the scouts, Sydnae dedicates her time to volunteering at the Loughton foodbank after school each week. She has played a crucial role in spreading awareness about the foodbank’s work, recruiting new volunteers, and organizing clothing donations.
On Saturdays, Sydnae volunteers at the Park Swim School, where she helps children with disabilities develop their swimming skills.
Highly Commended
Dilly Roth
Dilly, a student at Braeside School, has Autism, Hypermobility, and Dyslexia. Sheworks hard to raise awareness of challenges faced by young people like herself in mainstream education and the wider community.
She is actively involved in various projects and groups, including serving as a Wellbeing Ambassador at her school and winning a design competition for an Autism Friendly School.
Dilly has also contributed to research on the Autistic experience in mainstream schools and is working with Essex County Council’s Targeted Employment Service.
Niza Dlawar Karim
Niza, a student at The Ongar Academy, has been living in temporary accommodation for families seeking asylum for the past 2 years.
Recognised for her proficiency in multiple languages, Niza has been a valuable resource for local professionals and families in navigating various issues such as housing, education, healthcare, and charitable services.
Without her translation skills, many people would struggle to access necessary services and support. Niza generously volunteers her time to advocate for those in need, translating conversations and correspondence multiple times a day.
Active Epping Forest Sports Award
Our district is proud and fortunate to have a very strong sporting community legacy and it is important to acknowledge some of our young people’s sporting achievements through Active Epping Forest Sports Award.
Winner
Woody South
Woody, a student studying at New City College, has a passion for Canoe Slalom and is currently ranked 21st in the premier division. He has earned a spot in the England National Talent Squad through his dedication and hard work.
In April, Woody will compete for a spot on the Team GB Junior Team to participate in world and European championships. He aims to progress to the under-23 age category and eventually join the Olympic team by gaining more international competition experience.
Creativity Award
The Creativity Award is offered to young people and organisations that show promise and make creative contributions to the arts within our district.
Winner
Eyes Wide Theatre
Eyes Wide Theatre is led by Imogen Dowding and Eve von Elgg, both graduates from East15 Acting School.
Since graduating Imogen has been writing and performing in London theatres. She recently returned to East 15 as an assistant director for the third years’ upcoming theatre show with renowned theatre company Gecko.
Eve is a keen writer and has spent the last year working on their debut play How to Eat Dog. The play is a survival story, drawing on the writer’s own experiences to around suicide.
Imogen and Eve will use their prize money of £500 to deliver an outreach programme to students at New City College who may have been affected by some of the themes in the play.
Imogen and Eve were unable to be with us on the night so Epping Forest District Council’s Culture and Communities team manager, Vanessa Gayton collected the award on their behalf.
Team of the Year award
Team of the Year provides an excellent opportunity to recognise teams throughout the district that deserve special recognition.
Commended
3Food4U
3Food4U volunteer team has made a considerable difference within the community.
They run 5 food hubs on a weekly basis – 2 in Waltham Abbey, 1 in Loughton, 1 in Chigwell and the other in Ongar. These hubs also act as a venue for other services such as job clubs and numeracy sessions.
The team also runs 4 monthly social and warm places across the district and organise free school supplies and Christmas presents for local children. All this helps hundreds of families every week.
The team started just over 3 years ago and has gone from strength to strength helping the community.
Winner
St Andrew’s School
The Friends of St Andrew’s School is led by Ele Fox and Jane O’Leary. With the help of the school’s Eco-Warriors group, they designed a garden which won the people’s choice show garden at the BBC Gardener’s World Autumn Fair at Audley End. The garden is to be re-sited in the grounds of St Andrew’s Primary School for the children and their families to use.
The team has also recently raised over £20,000 to build a new inclusive play sensory trail in the school.
They have organised numerous pre-loved uniform sales to ensure all children and families have access to affordable uniforms, including many families who are new to the district and school.
The team worked with St Andrew’s Church last December to ensure that the children living in local temporary accommodation all received a Christmas present.
Community service medals
The emergency services play a vital role in protecting us all and it is our honour to recognise the work of these services, and the people behind them.
East of England Ambulance Service
Geoff Styles
Geoff Styles has worked for the ambulance service for 9 and a half years, joining after serving in the military.
Geoff gives invaluable support to the rapid intervention service, which covers the whole of west Essex. This service was commissioned by the NHS to bridge the gap between GP surgeries and ambulance service for unscheduled care.
Geoff liaises between various community resources and assists the coordination centre in getting care to patients. Geoff’s contributions mean patients can have a full assessment in their own home, have medications prescribed, bloods taken and follow ups arranged efficiently and quickly. It also means hospital space, staff and ambulances are readily available for patients who are critically ill.
Geoff’s knowledge and experience of the ambulance service have vastly helped the rapid intervention initiative run smoothly.
Essex Fire and Rescue Service
Jennifer Adelle
On-call firefighters are not based at the fire station full time and are contacted when there is an incident. Many have other jobs but live within a few minutes of a fire station.
Jennifer Adelle has been an on-call firefighter at Epping for a year and was on her way home from her day job when she was flagged down by a neighbour. Moments later, Jennifer was in a stranger’s front room helping to deliver a baby.
Jennifer’s ability to keep calm and focus helped someone through labour and bring a new life into the world. She credits her fire service training for preparing her to being able to deal with high-pressured situations such as this.
This demonstrates how being an on-call firefighter is not a 9 to 5 job. You are always ready to help your community.
Essex Police
PC Nicholas Travers
PC Nicholas Travers boxes in his spare time and was asked to teach boxing as part of a wider 12-week programme for members of the Thrive Survivors Group.
Each session looked at different life skills that can build self-awareness and self-confidence. They also learnt the technical skills of boxing to the GB Preliminary Level, to gain an ASDAN Accreditation.
With Nick’s drive and passion, this project helped empower survivors, supported them to make positive changes and helped them realise their self-worth and capabilities.
Youth Council Cup
Epping Forest Youth Council celebrated its 15th anniversary last year. The youth councillors are the voice of the district’s younger generation, giving the Council a fresh perspective on the issues our younger residents face. They approach their work with confidence, maturity, passion and creativity.
Youth Council Cup winners
William Ayrton
William, a student at Chigwell School, has been a driving force in establishing strong connections between his school and the district council. His leadership was evident during the 2023 Youth Conference, where he took a lead role, and he even hosted a VIP visit to Chigwell School last summer.
Kaz Chu-Foon
Kaz from the King Harold Academy in their 2 years as a Youth Councillor, Kaz has showcased outstanding IT and media skills. Their creativity shone through in the latest Youth Council promotional film for secondary schools, and they played a crucial role in webcasting the recent youth debate at the Youth Conference.
Ahiyan Shah Kabir
Ahiyan Shah Kabir, a student at Roding Valley High School has blossomed into a confident and eloquent speaker, contributing significantly to meetings and events. He even starred in the Youth Council promotional film, demonstrating his love for public speaking.
Sydnae Smith
Sydnae Smith, from Roding Valley High School and this year’s Young Citizen of the Year winner, has been a Youth Councillor for 4 years. Sydnae s dedicates her time not only to the Youth Council but also as a leader at the Explorers and as a volunteer at her local foodbank.
Eylul Ugur
Eylul Ugur also from Roding Valley High School has shown exceptional growth in confidence since joining the Youth Council. She is an outstanding public speaker, and actively participates in discussions and debates where she makes a significant impact.
Staff recognition award
As an employer, Epping Forest District Council is always proud of its employees. This year there are a number of staff the Chairman felt deserve special recognition.
Winners
Sandra Wilson
Sandra’s welfare check on an elderly resident revealed she was in poor condition and had been stranded behind a closed door for days. Thanks to Sandra’s persistence, the elderly woman was rescued and treated for dehydration at the hospital.
Suzzane Foster and Louise Warren
In a challenging situation, Suzanne, a homelessness officer, reached out to Louise, a member of the people team, for support when a woman expressed suicidal thoughts. Together, they coordinated assistance from community safety colleagues and provided specialised support to ensure the woman’s safety. The quick thinking and compassion shown by all involved highlights the importance of safeguarding awareness training and the dedication of our Mental Health First Aiders to handle difficult situations with professionalism and care.
Darren Goodey and Mike Witham
Last year, Ken Waylett, suffered a cardiac arrest while visiting the North Weald Airfield in May 2023. Thanks to the quick actions of Darren Goodey, Mike Witham, and the Air Ambulance rapid response team led by Scott McIlwaine, Ken’s condition was stabilised. This incident highlighted the importance of lifesaving skills and training to achieve the best outcome for patients like Ken.
Congratulations to all our winners
Council Chairman, Councillor Darshan Sunger said:
What a wonderful awards ceremony. Thank you to all our presenters for doing such a sterling job. To our special guests, winners and runners up, congratulations again, it is people like you that make the world a better place. Thank you for your selflessness, generosity and compassion.
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