Shirley Hume - Unsung Hero Winner
Shirley started Springfield Youth Group (SYG) to combat anti-social gang behavior and knife crime. She gives her time tirelessly seeking funding to keep the youth group running. Shirley’s involved with lots of projects trying to get young people to respect their community. She regularly holds information evenings on gang and knife crime. She has
organized self-defense classes to enable the young people to protect themselves against knife attacks, muggings and rapes. She runs first aid courses for young people. She held gang awareness evenings, not just for the young but also for parents. They were so well attended she was asked by the police fire and crime commissioner to do more in different areas.
Shirley has been such a success that other villages have asked for her help to start similar youth groups, currently she is helping with Witham, Danbury and Broomfield. She’s determined to change the young peoples way of thinking and to help them gain self-respect and to respect others. She has to attend a lot of courses, which is difficult for Shirley as she has several disabilities of her
own to deal with on a daily basis. Her Daughter Kellyanne says:
“Mum is an amazing person whom has single handedly raised five children and believes today’s youth just need understanding.”
Sky Butcher - Highly Commended
Sky is recovering from an operation she had for cancer, which necessitates her taking a lot of medication daily, just to keep going. Nevertheless she goes out of her way to feed the homeless of Basildon. She clothes and feeds them and makes sure that they’re OK. She spends every weekday doing this; she also organizes a meet every Sunday in Basildon where the homeless can get food, clothes, sleeping bags, and a packed lunch. All this she does off her own back and in her own time.
Suzie Pugh - Highly Commended
Suzie is the proprietor of a small, craft and teashop in Maldon. It’s a
shop with a difference; inside Suzie manages to find time to hold regular ‘Kindness in a cup’ friendship groups for lonely people. She is also a
bereavement help point for Farleigh Hospice. Together with local care homes Suzie runs a community wide ‘wishing-washing line’, through which young and old have both got involved to fulfill wishes of
elderly people. All this whilst struggling with Ill health and looking after her own children, still she finds time to help others.
As her nominator Stacy Roberts says, ‘Suzie is a totally selfless
person.’
Natalie Carley - Highly Commended
Mother of two young children, Natalie has dedicated her life to raising awareness of women’s charities, and helping to build the confidence of those abused. She set up Q4, a successful national plus size pageant, giving finalists a voice to promote the platform of their choice and to raise money for their chosen charities. Having gone through an abusive marriage herself, she uses her experience to help victims of domestic violence, by counseling and providing essential items, often funded with her own money, delivering to safe houses where the victims have fled with their children. She has set up a breakfast club, where parents can accompany their children, before taking them to school. Parents and children can go for free, without payments to Natalie and completely none profit.
Trish Heard - Highly Commended
Trish has run the Tolleshunt D’Arcy toddler group for 30 Years, which is now a registered charity. She is also on the pre school committee, as a full time child minder. She is also on the committee raising funds to get a new village hall, which has set itself a target of £750,000. She is a member of the fete committee which last year raised over £2000
in just a few hours. Trish has been on one committee or another for
more than 45 years. Her nominator Katie Loman says :‘Trish gets involved
with every charity event to make our Tolleshunt D’Arcy community better.
She is such a big part of our village and is so proud to be part of the
community she works hard for’.