Five of Leicestershire’s heroes have been honoured at a special award ceremony, sponsored by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
At the inaugural Leicester Mercury’s Pride of Leicestershire Awards, Simon Headley, Chris Middleton, Charlotte Murgatroyd, Jan Shepherd and Tony Fowler were named the winners in eight award categories.
Awarded by PCC Sir Clive Loader, Tony Fowler, who has also been received a Pride of Britain award and an OBE, was also named the overall Pride of Leicestershire winner – receiving two flights to Brussels and £500. He chose to give the prize to the family of fellow nominee Amy Petrie, who lost her fight with cancer last year.
Simon Headley received the Emergency Services and the Bravery and Courage awards, the latter of which was sponsored by Leicestershire Police and chosen and presented by Chief Constable Simon Cole.
Working as an administrator for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, Simon is also a coordinator for Leicestershire and Rutland’s British Red Cross Fire and Emergency Support and a volunteer for Leicestershire Search and Rescue. He spends much of his helping people affected by fire, floods and other emergencies in their homes.
His quick thinking and courage saved the life of an elderly lady who was trapped inside her burning home. Simon smashed a window, climbed inside the smoke filled house and carried the woman to safety.
Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “It was a privilege for the force to support an award which recognises the great lengths people will go to in other to help and support others.
“All of the nominations showed tremendous acts of bravery and courage but Simon’s story stood out. He spends so much of his time volunteering in the community and his selfless act helped to save another person’s life.”
Afghan war veteran Chris Middleton was given the Armed Services award for overcoming extremely difficult circumstances to train for a world first.
In 2011 he lost both his leg in a roadside bomb blast in Helmand but thanks to charity Deptherapy, which helps rehabilitate badly injured armed services personnel through scuba diving, Chris is hoping to become the first double amputee diving instructor.
17-year-old Charlotte Murgatroyd was honoured with the Volunteer of the Year and Overcoming Hardship award for raising more £25,000 for charity, despite being born with a complex heart problem and suffering a stroke two years ago.
The Community Building award was won by Jan Shepherd for her fundraising to build a brand new village hall in Heather, North West Leicestershire.
The new hall will provide social, educational and health classes and services to the people in the community, particularly those who are vulnerable and often feel isolated.
As well as being named the overall winner, Tony Fowler also received the Community Action and Good Neighbour awards for his caring and concern for the people on his 100 mile round as a milkman in Leicestershire.
He makes sure that vulnerable people are safe and cared for and is often referred to as ‘the eyes and ears of the community during the early hours’.
Tony has been able to prevent a suicide attempt, raised the alarm for a person who had collapsed at home, stopped a car being stolen, saved the life of a man having an epileptic fit in the street and brought and cooked food for an elderly resident who hadn’t eaten for days – to name just a few.
The awards were presented to the winners during a special ceremony last night (23 July) at the King Power Stadium, hosted by X Factor winner Sam Bailey.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sir Clive said: “It was such an honour to sponsor these awards and in particular to select and present Tony with the overall award.
“All of the winners should be incredibly proud of their achievements. Their dedication and commitment to helping to improve the lives of people around them and to overcome personal struggle is highly commendable – they are the Pride in Leicestershire.
“Their community spirit has shown that everyone has a part to play in making lives better for people living in our communities and I hope that their stories will inspire others to want to give something back in their communities too.”
Special Sergeant Izabela Kos was one of three people shortlisted for the Good Neighbour award for her work helping to break down language barriers with the Eastern European communities.
Posted on Monday 9th May 2016