Civic Awards

Newbury Town Council introduced the Newbury Town Civic Award in 1997. More recently, the Young Persons Award, the Business Civic Award and the Environmental Contribution Civic Award have run alongside the main Civic Award. The awards highlight the importance of those who make a difference in our community and are presented to those who have made an exceptional voluntary contribution to Newbury and celebrate the achievements of our local community. 

The Newbury Town Civic Award 

This person, or group, does not have to live within Newbury Town; however, their voluntary activities should be predominantly within Newbury Town or benefit the town. 

The Newbury Town Young Persons Civic Award 

This person must be age 25 or under. They don’t have to live in Newbury Town; however, their voluntary activities should be predominantly within Newbury Town or for the benefit of the town. 

The Newbury Town Business Civic Award 

The Town Council wants to acknowledge the contributions made by the many businesses who are giving something back to the community in Newbury. This could be through employees volunteering for local causes, through fundraising or contributions, or by partnering with local charities and organisations. The business does not have to be located within Newbury Town; however, the contribution or volunteering activities should be predominantly within the town or for the benefit of the town. 

The Newbury Town Environmental Contribution Civic Award 

The Town Council wants to acknowledge the contributions made by individuals and organisations whose volunteering impacts the local environment by helping to reduce CO2 emissions, or to reduce/recycle more waste, or to increase biodiversity. This could be through conservation projects, green initiatives, fundraising, or by awareness raising. The individuals or organisations do not have to be located within Newbury Town, however their contribution or volunteering activities should be predominantly within Newbury Town or for the benefit of the town. 

Town Council AWARDS unsung heroes of the community

The Annual Newbury Town Civic Awards presentation took place at Newbury Town Hall on Wednesday 15^th March 2023. 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 Gary Norman, 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 shows what a wonderful town we live in where people are willing to give their time and energy to helping the community”

Kerry Bird was named the winner of The Newbury Town Civic Award 2023. Kerry is the driving force of the Speen Community Café supporting residents from both Newbury & Speen to become more connected within their community. The café has been providing refreshments, signposting to local services, craft activities, speakers, board games, friendship and a safe place to come to get to know other local people. It is also one of a network of 'warm spaces' in Newbury. Guests can also learn new skills such as knitting, fire safety in the home, using a sewing machine and gardening. Kerry’s commitment and enthusiasm, along with a small band of helpers, keeps this valuable community resource going.

The winner of the Newbury Town Business Civic Award 2023 was Gardner Leader. Gardner Leader regularly supports the local community through financial sponsorship and practical help and they have a Charity of the Year, this year it is the Newbury Soup Kitchen. They have helped and supported the Ukrainian community - certifying documents for free for many refugees, helping them access essential things like Family Allowance on arrival. Gardner Leader also donated money towards the Christmas party for Ukrainian children at the Baptist Church Hall.

The Newbury Town Young Persons Civic Award 2023 recipient was Ashley Aspinwall, aged 18. Since becoming a young leader at Waterside Centre in April 2022, Ashley has volunteered her time on many occasions to support the activities that take place at the Centre. Ashley has helped with groups of children participating in activities within the primary school holiday programme, and worked with the centre staff to set up and deliver events and bookings, including the Community Larder, Sponsored Paddle and Community Cricket Partnership.  Ashley is a friendly face to new young people joining sessions.

The winner of the Newbury Town Environmental Contribution Award 2023 was Emma Fearnley. Emma and her husband, Derek have both recently completed five years as trustees of Newbury & District Beekeepers Association. They have been vital in the association and have given up hours of their time educating the local community on the importance of beekeeping. They are also the coordinators for collecting honeybee swarms in and around Newbury and in 2022 were responsible for rehoming 40+ colonies. Their impact on the local environment is huge.

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