YOUNG people and groups across Westbury were recognised and celebrated for their achievements at the recent Young People’s Awards, hosted by Westbury Area Board and Matravers School, where the event was held.
All nominees for the Westbury Young People’s Awards were invited to the awards evening on 11th May, creating an exciting atmosphere as young people, parents and sponsors awaited the results of the winners.
Nominees were presented with a certificate from Westbury and Warminster’s community engagement manager, Graeme Morrison, who compered the evening. Each sponsor then revealed the winner and presented them with a trophy. The winners were:
• Young volunteer award; Lucas Wint for completing several running challenges and raising thousands of pounds for Cancer Research in the process. (Award sponsored by White Horse News).
• Young achiever award; Timothy Lee for becoming national champion at the neuroscience ‘Brain Bee’ competition and representing the UK at an international event. (Sponsored by Hills).
• Young arts group award; the cast and crew of Bugsy Malone, Matravers School, for their ‘polished and impressive’ piece of live theatre. (Sponsored by Hire Standards).
• Young arts individual award; Amelia Davis for her role at ALW Dance where she assists with teaching the younger classes and boosts the students’ confidence.
• Young sports team award; Dilton Rovers Youth FC U13s team for winning the Trowbridge Tournament, reaching the quarter-finals of the Corsham tournament and finishing as runners-up in the Wiltshire FC tournament. (Sponsored by Martin & Co).
• Young sports individual award; Lily Morris for captaining a number of sports teams at Matravers School and attending all the clubs that the PE department offers.
• Young Covid-19 local hero; Brad Moore for selflessly buying and delivering groceries for an elderly resident for more than six months, as well as helping with food bank deliveries and the vaccination centre. (Sponsored by Tarmac).
• School council award; joint winners of Fairfield Farm College Student Council and Westbury Leigh Primary School Council. Fairfield Farm College was recognised for their many fundraising events, as well as their work with Westbury Town Council on the “Wonderful Cinema”. Westbury Leigh Primary School Council were recognised for their work to improve play times and the introduction of ‘brain breaks,’ as well as distributing equipment that has made improvements to children’s hand/eye coordination, their competitiveness and their communication and leadership within each class.
• Young leader/community spirit award; Ann Daw for her philanthropic work over the past two years to supply the local foodbank with food and treats. Ann set up donation points around Fairfield Farm College and the farm shop, asking for people to donate both in December 2019 and December 2020. (Sponsored by Connect Mortgages).
• Special area board award; Sophie Thomas for her performance at the West Wiltshire Schools Dance Festival at the Bath Forum, performing in front of a large audience and 24 other school dance groups. (Sponsored by the Westbury Community Area Board).
Chair of Westbury Community Area Board, cllr Suzanne Wickham said, “We are always so excited to host the Westbury Young People Awards in partnership with Matravers School, but this was particularly true this year as it was the first time we have been able to hold the event since 2019 due to Covid-19. The evening did not disappoint, and I want to congratulate all of the winners. It was amazing to be on the judging panel and to read all of the brilliant nominations, we honestly could have given trophies to every single one of them.
“Young people are sometimes shown in a negative light, especially on social media, but this event gives us a fabulous opportunity to recognise their outstanding achievements and contributions to our community. I can’t wait for next year!”
Lindsay Elkins, Fairfield Farm College student council lead, spoke about the college receiving two awards. She said, “For the past three years, I have had the pleasure of working with and supporting the student council. They have brought the thoughts and ideas of the college community to life. A huge congratulations to Josh, Lucy, Brook, Kyle, and Elliott on their well-deserved win.
“Another award was won by Ann, who picked up the ‘young leader and community spirit’ accolade. For the last three years, Ann has worked tirelessly with the student council and led her peers to collect countless boxes of food and essential items for the local food bank in Westbury. Her compassion and generosity toward others are amazing, even thinking of others at Christmas and Easter, saying “everyone deserves a bit of chocolate!”
