AN awards ceremony which features a nomination for the Westbury youth group, Team 10, which was due to be held at a hotel, will now go ahead virtually.
Team10 have been shortlisted for the ‘Inspirational Young Tenant of the Year Award’ in the Tpas awards 2020. Tpas is England’s leading tenant engagement experts.
The group’s members are children from Westbury Junior School who live in the Penleigh and Oldfield Park areas. They provide a young voice for the area, working with the adult residents’ group POPCAN and Sovereign Housing. They provide ideas on how things can be improved for the residents including updates to the park, making paths safer and future plans for the community.
Westbury Junior School headteacher Richard Hatt and school volunteer Scott Kinnard would have attended the awards ceremony, which was due to take place in a Manchester hotel in March.
Now, they are now going to watch it from the comfort of their homes – with the added bonus that they can still enjoy a three-course meal.
Richard Hatt told White Horse News, “We were due to go up to Manchester – but they have now sent us two meals for a virtual awards night.
“We are having pea, mint and courgette soup, grilled butterfly chicken and chocolate mousse. There was something called wine mentioned too – but I don’t know about that,” he joked.
Team 10 was created around three years ago to find out what young people really wanted to improve in the area and make things happen. They were instrumental in getting the youth shelter removed from Penleigh Park, worked with Sovereign to get a noticeboard installed, and have spoken at council meetings about other improvements in the park.
Members have also advised Sovereign on projects that need supporting in school (including new iPads), that enhance children’s learning experience.
The Tpas annual awards recognise and reward excellence and best practice in the housing sector. They celebrate the remarkable volunteers, housing staff and contractors who bring lasting change to communities.
