The 25th Annual Newbury Town Civic Awards presentation took place at Newbury Town Hall on Wednesday 16th March 2022. The awards presented included the Newbury Town Civic Award, the Newbury Town Young Person’s Civic Award, the Newbury Town Business Civic Award and the Newbury Town Environmental Contribution Award. The awards recognise the town’s unsung heroes who go above and beyond to help make an exceptional contribution to the Newbury community on a voluntary basis. 

The Mayor of Newbury, Cllr Billy Drummond, said “We received so many fantastic nominations for this year’s awards. All nominees showed dedication and commitment to their voluntary causes, and the variety of nominations show what a wonderful town we live in where people are willing to give their time and energy helping the community” 

Sukey Russell-Hayward was named as the winner of The Newbury Town Civic Award 2022. Sukey has supported the West Fields community of Newbury by setting up the Community Matters Facebook page 5 or so years ago which provides a link between household in the area. Sukey also organises and runs CommuniTea events in her garden where the community are invited into her garden for tea, cake and a chat while raising funds for charity. She is also the driver for the Secret Garden project, which aims to transform the area by Newbury Lock from waste ground to an accessible resource for the community; she recruits volunteers and encourages the community to get involved in these activities. Her latest venture is to create a communal store of equipment that can be borrowed for gardening or DIY jobs for all the have access to. Sukey’s enthusiasm and ‘can do’ attitude to help others, while holding down a full-time job, has such a positive impact on the community where so many local residents in Newbury and the surrounding areas benefit. 

The winner of the Newbury Town Business Civic Award was The Globe Pub. Colin & Katie Martin (and Dave the Dog) were clear from day one of opening The Globe that they wanted to help the local community. They have supported many local organisations and charities by offering them use of their space for events free of charge. Where possible, they source local people, work and materials to improve the pub; including artists, greenery, and entertainment. They also support a range of small, local food providers use of their kitchen and serve a variety of foods on different nights. Their honest approach to work, transparency to the public and their caring nature toward their staff’s wellbeing were also recognised by nominators. Their inclusivity always encourages communities to come together, and are always welcoming new residents of the town (and four legged friends), bringing a great spirit to the town 

The Newbury Town Young Persons Civic Award, recipient was Soorya Anbumurasoli, aged 13. Cricket is Soorya’s passion and has been selected for the Berkshire County U13s pathway. Not only did he play with the Indian adult community cricket team at the One Community Cricket and Family Fun Day in September, but he also volunteers to help Falkland Cricket Club with coaching junior teams to help youngsters improve their skills. Soorya also supports the Tamil community with cultural events and also helps at the Newbury Tamil School, encouraging people to embrace the traditional Tamil language. 

The winner of the Newbury Town Environmental Contribution Award was Tony Hammond. Tony has quietly led the initiative ‘Growing Newbury Green’ for the last decade, helping provide all Newbury residents with access to fresh local, healthy free food grown organically. He supports regular community orchard pruning events, making sure that residents go home with the right skills and confidence in growing their own apple trees. He has also led Wassails both on Zoom and in person to involve more local residents with their orchard. He has also enthused and guided others to take on their own projects, big and small, to grow their own and has dedicated much of his time, expertise and unassuming leadership to help the town become more educated in local, organic food. 

The Mayor of Newbury, Councillor Billy Drummond congratulated all of the nominees for their outstanding achievements. by letter. All nominees were invited to the Town Hall for the presentation ceremony and were given a certificate of recognition.  

A full list of all those nominated for each award are below: 

Young Persons Civic Award 

Name	Reason
Soorya Anbumurasoli  (Winner)	13 year old Soorya has been recognised for his commitment to cricket, including volunteering locally at Falkland Cricket Club as well as supporting the Newbury Tamil Community.

Business Civic Award 

Name	Reason
Team Kennet – Athletics and Triathlon Club	Providing children and adults access to exercise, promoting a safe and welcoming environment, following Covid restrictions.
Valarie Jerome Optometrists	For providing ongoing eyecare to Newbury’s homeless and vulnerable.
The Globe Pub  (Winner)	For providing voluntary organisations free use of their spaces for events, and their ongoing support to put the community at the heart of their business.    Sadly, The Globe were unable to attend the event. They sent in a video of Dave the dog thanking the Mayor for the award.

Environmental Contribution Civic Award 

Name	Reason
Ceinwen Lally & Judith Cooper	For organising Newbury Apple Day since it started in 2012, a vibrant event promoting local food and reducing waste.
Paula Saunderson	For her work campaigning and raising awareness of the natural habitat surrounding the River Lambourn.
Ken & Sarah White	For their work monitoring and protecting Newbury’s breeding Peregrines and putting Newbury on the wildlife map.
Tony Hammond   (Winner)	For leading the Growing Newbury Green initiative, helping residents gain access to healthy local food grown organically.

Newbury Town Civic Award 

Name	Reason
Milena Castino	For bringing more than 1,800 local women together through her online Women in Newbury network.
West Berkshire Group of ABC to Read Volunteers	Delivering high quality life-changing literacy support across schools in West Berkshire.
Nick Bull	For organizing the yearly Primary School Cross Country competition for the past 20 years.
Christine Westcombe	For volunteering up to 4 times a week at Newbury Soup Kitchen, as well as being one of their first aiders, supporting clients who are in crisis.
Volunteers at The Waterside Centre’s Community Larder	Providing friendly voluntary service encouraging the public to use the new Community Larder.
Avril & Richard O’Sullivan	For their continuous voluntary service at the Community Furniture Project maximizing money for the charity
Eugene Futcher	For voluntary service as a Scout Leader, Chairmanship of West Berkshire Ramblers, to Loose Ends, West Berkshire Food Bank and organising the Wash Common Community Festival.
Sukey Russell-Hayward  (Winner)	Bringing the community together through the Community Matters Facebook group, CommuniTea events in her garden at leading the Secret Garden project.

END

Elisa Mullen – Civic Manager mayor@newbury.gov.uk  07538 334 106

Cllr Billy Drummond - Mayor of Newbury mayor@newbury.gov.uk