THE mayor of Westbury, cllr Mike Sutton, hosted the annual civic awards last week celebrating the work of local people over the last year.
This year, awards were presented to Quakers grave volunteer, John Fryer, guide dog trainer and fundraiser, Hilary Reed, and town historian, Sally Hendry.
Mayor Mike Sutton presented each with their award.
He said, “John Fryer was presented with the award for all the work he did uncovering the Quakers grave in the car park of Pinniger Finch in the town. What was so impressive is that he worked away on his own for well over a year and it was only in the latter stages that the town found out about the work.”
The Quakers’ grave then became a community project where the town’s Leos group and Westbury Lions worked alongside John and other volunteers to bring the site back into use, with it now being celebrated in the town as a historical landmark.
The mayor continued, “Hilary Reed has been training guide dogs for the blind for 37 years and this year completed her 50th trained dog, before handing it over to a blind person whose life will be enhanced by a guide dog. Hilary also arranges many money raising activities both locally and within west Wilts and the award was to recognise all that she has done for this worthy cause.
“Sally Hendry has been an active member of the Westbury Historical Society as well as the Heritage Centre and her knowledge about the history of Westbury is unrivalled. She also gives lectures and talks on Westbury history and has been a great source of information on such matters as the Blue Plaque Trail within the town.”
The Westbury Historical Society is currently planning to move premises from their High Street location, inside the visitors’ centre, to the first floor of the library.
At the awards evening, cllr Sutton paid tribute to all the people in the town who volunteer their time to help others. He also thanked his fellow councillors for their voluntary work for the town, and town council staff who work hard behind the scenes. A collection was taken on the night for the mayor’s chosen charity, Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Picture: L-R John Fryer, Hilary Reed, Westbury mayor cllr Mike Sutton and Sally Hendry.
