Pride in Peterborough: Feeding needy, caring for vulnerable and great local events - Part 2

Essential/Key Worker of the Year Award

- WINNER - ROB GIFFEN who is a police detective at Thorpe Wood and a great example of a key worker that has worked all through the pandemic going above and beyond. His nominator said: “He works very long hours and works hard; he and his colleagues do so much more than we realise.

“Rob walked the streets of Peterborough after a nine hour shift until the early hours to reunite a lady with Alzheimer’s with her husband. He also helped a man during an incident on a Peterborough parkway bridge. Through Rob’s after care and support this gentleman was able to get the help he needed and be reunited with his children. Not all heroes wear capes”

- RUNNER-UP: ASHLEY BEREZNYCKYJ who is the manager of Little Stars Day Nursery on Dogsthorpe Road. Ashley opened her nursery throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for key workers, this meant she was thrust into a whole new way of working and became the central hub for children requiring care. Throughout the pandemic the nursery faced many challenges, but Ashley and her team along with others across the Stars organisation went over and above to ensure working families were supported with fantastic childcare.

Community Hero Award

The Peterborough Telegraph received the highest amount of nominations ever for this category.

- WINNER: ZILLUR HUSSAIN. This was the second nomination for Zillurand a richly deserved category win.

Other finalists were:

- ANNA DONOVAN spends her free time either raising money for good causes, or meeting the needs of others. She knits and sells squares making blankets with funds going to Barnardos and the blankets going to Sue Ryder. She does car boot sales with items donated to raise money for local families.

- ANNABEL MURCOTT has received several nominations for her work with the Tae Kwon Do Club. Her nominator said: “She is our true unsung hero.”

- DELJIT SINGH is described as: “A true ambassador for our city.”

He does so much to promote Peterborough and community works, for instance feeding over 100 people on St Valentine’s Day who couldn’t afford a meal out. cooking and delivering food across the city. organiser of CRUK Relay for Life Peterborough which raised over £26,000 for Cancer Research UK and raising £2300 himself with his family and friends team by running the London Marathon.

- LITTLE MIRACLES is a parent-led support group. They are a small charity that changes the lives of families that have disabled children in the city. They run a purpose built centre at The Spinney, Peterborough, with daily support, play and advice sessions.

- NATALIE KING is another key worker at a Peterborough school working all throughout the pandemic. Natalie shows her community spirit inside and outside of work in everything she does. She recently helped a very elderly lady with dementia who was wandering lost on the streets of Yaxley.

It was a very cold day and Natalie took her into her car to keep her warm until the police arrived to help reunite her with the lady’s brother. Natalie has even recently been raising money for charity and completed a 5k Race for Life.

- PATRICK KADEWERE: Shortly before the pandemic, Patrick put a committee together to put forward a tender for the lease of East Community Centre in Peterborough. Once the pandemic hit, Patrick got his team together to ensure this newly taken over centre was covid compliant so that the on-site school and essential addiction support groups could reopen and carry on operating. He has supported numerous homeless people sleeping on the grounds of the centre, is working with partner agencies to tackle anti social behaviour, fly tipping and drug dealing in the community as well as setting up the Afghan Refugee Hub at the community centre.

- RELAY FOR LIFE PETERBOROUGH COMMITTEE. It was a long-time in the making, but Relay For Life Peterborough finally held its first event in October 2021 at Ferry Meadows. It is a global fundraising event, held in the local community, whereby people come together to celebrate cancer survival and remember lost loved ones. It is entirely organised by a committee of volunteers in their own time.

- SARAH SCOTT has set up the elderly Christmas shoebox appeal, although set up before covid, it continued throughout and delivered over 700 shoeboxes to elderly people who would be spending the holiday season alone, and it was then organised again for Easter.

During the pandemic she has also become a volunteer vaccinator with SJA.

- STUART HAW is currently finishing a PhD. Alongside this Stuart’s campaigning meant that several hundred local residents were able to access local leisure facilities at a time that was crucial for their health. He has been working with the Peterborough Council for Voluntary Services, and has attracted funding from the National Lottery to invest in local community groups. Including the community centres and clubs which he attended as a young resident. In total his community work raised over £200,000 when working with PCVS, and his work with the council and Vivacity saved many tens of thousands in facility costs, but most importantly, it kept people healthy when they needed it most.

- TANIA SMITH is a single mum to six children. She has has been a help to Little Miracles and Family Voice and she now has her own group Clothes for Kids Peterborough where she has ensured help is available to Afghan people arriving in Peterborough, collecting and delivering donations all across the city by herself.

- UP THE GARDEN BATH CIC work with local businesses to reduce waste and landfill. They upcycle unwanted materials into educational planters that they then donate to local schools.

They install the planters into schools, community centres and residential care homes. They include a fun educational workshop that teaches all about recycling, introduces children to gardening, self sustainability and wildlife preservation.

Caring Neighbour Award

- WINNERS: KENAN BOLLONS and CHRISTINE SARDESON:

These two caring neighbours were nominated by Margaret Bell. Margaret’s husband was suddenly diagnosed with bowel cancer and with no relatives living in Peterborough Kevan and Christine were a lifeline especially during the covid restrictions.

Margaret said: “Since my husband’s cancer diagnosis they have really ‘stepped up to the mark’ . When my husband was admitted for urgent surgery, Kevan and Chris were always there to support us.”

- RUNNER-Up: Zillur Hussain.

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Pride in Peterborough: Meet the local heroes you nominated - Part 1