The High Sheriff of Hampshire Awards Ceremony took place on the lawn at Upham House, Southampton on the afternoon of 10th September 2021, to honour local volunteers, organisations and public servants going beyond the call of duty in their everyday activities.
Sarah Le May and Revd Sue Colman, the High Sheriffs of Hampshire for 2019 and 2020 respectively, presented the awards to recognise the inspirational work of 57 Hampshire based individuals and organisations. Recipients were presented with a certificate thanking them for their significant contribution to society and for their role in enhancing safety and cohesion across local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Almost 200 guests were in attendance, including Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire Nigel Atkinson, the High Sheriff of Hampshire 2021-2022 Phillip Sykes, MP for the Meon Valley Flick Drummond and Chief Fire Officer for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Neil Odin.
Olivia Pinkney, Chief Constable of Hampshire (pictured) began the awards by giving a speech on law and order across Hampshire, where she commended local communities for coming together to help people in need during the Covid-19 crisis.
Sarah Le May, High Sheriff of Hampshire 2019 said “We were delighted finally to be able to hold the High Sheriff Awards Ceremony, following the long disruption that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused. During my year in office it was truly inspiring to see first-hand the outstanding and meaningful work carried out by these unsung heroes to help those less fortunate across our county and it is a pleasure to be able to offer special recognition for their hard work and achievements in keeping our communities safe and thriving.”
Revd Sue Colman, High Sheriff of Hampshire 2020 added, “Many of the awards made in 2020 reflect the creative and innovative ways that the challenges caused by Covid-19 were met, with local individuals and organisations stepping in to provide emergency services for those in need, with many helping vulnerable people affected by lockdown. These awards showcase the compassionate culture that is alive in Hampshire communities and it was a pleasure to be able to finally meet and thank the recipients in person for all of their hard work during these very difficult and extraordinary times.”
A wide range of individuals and groups received special recognition for their work at the event, including Fleet Phoenix for their youth work, Changing Tunes for their music rehabilitation programme at Winchester Prison, Yellow Door for their work to support people affected by domestic and sexual abuse, Basingstoke Fire Station Crews (pictured above) for supporting the Covid-19 vaccination programme and Mr David Close for his work on health protection at Worthy Down during the pandemic.
The High Sheriff of Hampshire partners with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) to administer the Community Awards each year and Jacqui Scott, HIWCF Chief Executive said, “We are absolutely delighted to support the High Sheriff Awards, which uphold the values implemented by the Foundation across local communities, particularly those which value and protect the most vulnerable. I would like to congratulate each of the recipients for their inspiring work and for their dedication in making Hampshire a better and safer place to live, as our communities begin to tentatively return to some sense of normality following the last 18 months of turmoil”.
The organisations, individuals and magistrates to receive an award at the ceremony are listed below:
| Organisations | Area |
| Yellow Brick Road Project, for work with vulnerable young people | Andover |
| Camrose Centre, for their work with homeless people | Basingstoke |
| The Safe, staff and volunteers, for their work with vulnerable families | Basingstoke |
| Home Start North West Hampshire, staff & volunteers for their work with vulnerable families | Basingstoke |
| Basingstoke Fire Station Crews, for their instrumental work with the Covid-19 vaccination programme | Basingstoke |
| YMCA Fairthorne Group, for work with vulnerable young people | Basingstoke/Southampton |
| Fledge, for their wok homing vulnerable young people | Eastleigh |
| Fleet Phoenix, for their youth work | Fleet |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, for emergency services | Hampshire |
| Circles SE, staff & volunteers, for their work with offenders and those impacted by sexual abuse | Hampshire |
| Releasing Potential, for work with vulnerable young people | Havant |
| Heart of Hayling Boxing Academy, for work with vulnerable young people | Hayling Island |
| The Kings Arms, staff and volunteers for their work with vulnerable young people | Petersfield |
| Portsmouth South Volunteer Police Cadets Unit, for their work in crime prevention | Portsmouth |
| The Roberts Centre, for their work helping vulnerable families | Portsmouth |
| HIVE Portsmouth, staff & volunteers for their transformational work in local communities | Portsmouth |
| New Foundations Community Chaplaincy, for work supporting prison leavers | South Hampshire |
| Saints Foundation, for their Kicks football project | Southampton |
| Yellow Door, for their work with people affected by domestic and sexual abuse | Southampton |
| Safe Families Support Families, for their work with vulnerable families | Southampton |
| Southampton Voluntary Services, staff & volunteers for their transformational work in local communities | Southampton |
| Wessex Dance Academy, for their work with vulnerable young people | Winchester |
| Footprints Project & the Grange Approved Premises, for their Woodwork Project | Winchester |
| Changing Tunes, for their music rehabilitation programme at Winchester Prison | Winchester |
| Blue Apple Theatre, for their justice themed work | Winchester |
| Winchester Street Reach, for work with vulnerable young people | Winchester |
| Winchester Youth Counselling, for work with vulnerable young people | Winchester |
| Spurgeons, for work with fathers in Winchester prison and their families | Winchester |
| Winchester Churches Nightshelter Volunteers, for their work with homeless people | Winchester |
| Individuals | Area |
| Paula Philp and Andover Foyer, for their work with vulnerable homeless young people | Andover |
| Ayliffe Taylor, The Safe, for work with vulnerable families | Basingstoke |
| Paul Reddish, Basingstoke Fire Station Group Manager, for setting up the Covid-19 vaccination centre | Basingstoke |
| Keith Jones, Basingstoke Fire Station Manager, for setting up the Covid-19 vaccination centre | Basingstoke |
| Janet Abery, Neighbourhood Watch | Fareham |
| Marion Stoddard, Neighbourhood Watch | Fareham |
| Pat Davis, Moving On Project, for the early intervention counselling service for young people | Fareham and Gosport |
| Liz McGill, for her work setting up the Veteran Court Diversion Scheme | Hampshire |
| Paul Francis, Hampshire Fire & Rescue Services Community Development & Safeguarding Manager, for community safety | Hampshire |
| David Close, Safety, Health & Environment Officer, Worthy Down, for health protection measures to safeguard the population during the Covid-19 pandemic | Hampshire |
| Phoebe Carlile, St John’s Ambulance | Havant |
| Alice Morgan-Clare, for work with vulnerable young people at Motive8 | Portsmouth |
| Emily John, Volunteer Police Cadet, | Portsmouth |
| Annabel Hodgson, for her work with young people as CEO of No Limits | Southampton |
| Michael Steel, for work on community cohesion at Kiwi Education | Southampton |
| Cllr Neville Penman, for work on community cohesion during the Covid-19 pandemic | Totton |
| John Eade, for his work at Winchester Prison | Winchester |
| Sam Hunt, Friends of the Family, for work with vulnerable young people | Winchester |
| Magistrates | Area |
| Simon Keitley | East Hampshire Magistrates |
| Ruth Dash | East Hampshire Magistrates |
| Ian Swann | East Hampshire Magistrates |
| Thura Win | North Hampshire Magistrates |
| David James | North Hampshire Magistrates |
| Anne Odling | West Hampshire Magistrates |
| Barbara Inkson | West Hampshire Magistrates |
| Merrielle Billington | West Hampshire Magistrates |
| Manju Tank | West Hampshire Magistrates |
| Mel da Cunha | West Hampshire Magistrates |
The High Sheriff of Hampshire Awards for 2021/2022 will open from October 2021 on the HIWCF website, more information about the awards can be found on: www.hiwcf.com/about-us/high-sheriff-awards/
