Thirteen remarkable people who have given thousands of volunteering hours to Farnham have been celebrated in the second of this year’s Services to Farnham Awards.
In recognition of their outstanding service to the community, each individual has been presented with a ‘Services to Farnham Award’ by the Mayor of Farnham, Cllr Jeremy Ricketts.
The Award recipients were nominated for the honour as a way to say ‘thank you’ for all they do to make Farnham a better place.
Bob Blackman, who is the former general manager at the Farnham Maltings is a well-known figure in Rowledge. He was nominated for being an energetic and enthusiastic member of the community and for giving stalwart service to many village organisations.
Linda Bone was recognised for services to the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. Linda is a loyal and committed member of the team of nurses and has been involved in a wide range of fundraising events, which over the past ten years have raised over £50,000.
Described as a ‘community champion’, John Ely is a familiar face to many people. John has introduced hundreds of pupils at Folly Hill Infants School to the wonders of gardening and can often be seen litter picking and making improvements to the area around Hale and Heath End.
Speaking after the presentation, Cllr Jeremy Ricketts said: “I am proud to have been able to present Services to Farnham Awards to just some of the people who donate their time, talent, knowledge and expertise. It is thanks to them that musical talents have been encouraged, the environment has been improved and thousands of pounds have been raised. These people serve as fantastic community role models and have been a positive influence on the lives of so many people.”
Sir Ray Tindle CBE DL sponsored the medals, which were presented to:
Robert Blackman
Services to the community of Rowledge.
Bob Blackman has been an energetic and enthusiastic member of the Rowledge community for many years and his commitment and contribution to community life is much appreciated. Following on from his role as General Manager at the Farnham Maltings where he built strong foundations for its development and success, Bob has given stalwart service to St James Church, Rowledge Village Hall, the Rowledge Residents’ Association and for the last five years the Rowledge Village Fayre Committee. In addition he is a caseworker for SSAFA and co-ordinates collections for Tools for Self Reliance. Bob is an inspiration to all.
Linda Bone
Services to Farnham through the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice
Linda Bone is a loyal and committed member of the team of nurses at the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. In addition, she has been a strong advocate and ambassador for the Hospice for over 20 years. She has arranged the monthly plant sales and been a key volunteer in a wide range of fundraising events which have raised over £50,000 over the past decade. Linda is a role model for staff in encouraging and supporting volunteers and making them feel welcome as well as in raising the profile of the Hospice. Linda goes the extra mile in all that she does and her passion, energy and enthusiasm are infectious.
Anne Boyman
Services to the young people of Hale through the St Marks ‘Adventurers’ group
Anne Boyman has been running the ‘Adventurers’ activity group for the last 20 years with great humour and patience. Leading a team of volunteers, Anne has provided vision and continuity to allow children to come together in a secure and welcoming environment for fun-based activities such as craft, cooking, music, stories and games. Anne has a genuine affection for the children who attend and she personifies the meaning of the Services to Farnham Awards, someone who selflessly gives of their time and talents so that her community might benefit and be a better place as a result.
John Ely
Services to Farnham and the Environment
John Ely is a true community champion and involved in a wide range of activities for the benefit of Farnham. John decided to help improve Farnham and set an example by tidying up his local area before joining the Farnham in Bloom Community Group and being its Chairman for three years. John is a governor at Folly Hill Infant School and runs their successful gardening clubs. He has been instrumental in planting wildflowers, starting the community orchard in Hale and developing the Heath End Community Gardeners. In addition John supports a wide range of other community projects including the Linkylea Trust.
Peter Greenyer
Services to the Farnham community through the Farnham Hedgehogs
Peter Greenyer has been an inspirational and much valued member of the Hedgehogs since 1975. He has been responsible for a number of fundraising activities, including starting the monthly Jazz Café at the Farnham Maltings and the Hedgehogs marquees and equipment for hire. Peter was also Chairman of the Farnham Maltings from 2005 to 2010 during its development into a widely respected leading arts organisation and is still a director as well as being active in a wide variety of local charitable and community organisations. Peter is an exceptional individual who holds the need of Farnham and its people close to his heart.
Geoffrey Jeal
Services to the Farnham Lions and the Farnham Chamber of Commerce
Geoff Jeal has worked tirelessly for the Farnham community for many years. During his incredible service with the Farnham Lions where he has held most offices including President twice, he has been a major contributor to the Carnival, Beerex and the charity golf days. He has also played a major part in the Farnham Chamber of Commerce for 17 years and been a governor of Badshot Lea Infant School for 12 years, seven as Chairman. Geoff tirelessly puts the community before himself, often to his own detriment, and deserves recognition for all that he has done and continues to do for Farnham.
Margaret Kitney
Services to Guiding and the Farnham community
Margaret Kitney has been involved in Guiding since the 1970s, initially as Snowy Owl in the 1st Folly Hill pack and still remains as District Secretary and part of the fundraising team. In the past six years Margaret has also taken on office duties at the Royal Voluntary Service and delivers meals on wheels. She is also an active volunteer for a number of other organisations including a local youth offending group and the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. Margaret always helps friends and neighbours when needed and typifies the saying of “if you want anything done ask a busy person.”
Diana Martin
Services to Friends of Farnham Hospital
Diana has been a loyal worker and supporter of local community health services in Farnham for over 20 years. When she worked at the hospital, Diana helped the then League of Friends with administrative support and fundraising to ensure patients had the little extras to aid their recovery. On her retirement Diana took up the role of Secretary before becoming Chairman and has promoted the work of the Friends in raising funds to improve the care and wellbeing of the patients at the hospital. In addition Diana is an active member of the Inner Wheel and Secretary to the Friends of St Andrew’s Church.
David McAdam
Services to policing in Farnham and community safety
Special Constable 5748, David McAdam, has worked alongside the Neighbourhood Police Team since 2001, giving up his free time to patrol Farnham and keep the town a safe place to be. Dave focuses on liaising with licensed premises and in the last year alone gave up 300 hours of his own time intervening to stop public order incidents. Dave’s consistent commitment to keeping the people of Farnham safe has led to him becoming as well known by the community as full-time officers. Dave is held in high regard as a confident and capable asset for Surrey Police and the community and is ‘worth his weight in gold’.
Darryl Morgan
Services to the Ridgeway Community School
Darryl Morgan is Headmaster at the Ridgeway Community School for children with severe and complex learning difficulties. Darryl’s ethos is always to put the children first, providing a personalised education and collaborating with parents and other professionals to enable them to achieve the best they can. Darryl has transformed the Ridgeway into an outstanding school and works with other local schools and the local community, with outreach coffee mornings and fundraising activities. Darryl’s qualities and leadership style address challenges with humour and understanding and supports staff to reach their full potential.
Edward Peek
Services to the Farnham Brass Band
Edward Peek joined the Farnham Brass Band soon after it was formed in 1975 and was a committed member from its inception. He served on the committee for over 15 years, as Treasurer for five years and Chairman for six years. For over 30 years, Ted played Principal Euphonium whilst at the same time running the training band, encouraging young and old alike. Ted has always been there with hard work and dedication no matter what challenges faced the band. The fact that Farnham has an enthusiastic, financially-stable and thriving Brass Band celebrating its 40th anniversary is thanks to Ted and people like him and he deserves recognition for the part he has played in this success.
David and Gillian Victor-Smith
Services to Music and the Farnham Youth Choir
David and Gillian Victor-Smith created a community-based choir in 1984 and within eight years Farnham Youth Choir had won the national BBC/J Sainsbury Youth Choir of the Year competition. Since then, David and Gillian have made a unique contribution to youth choral singing, winning national and international competitions and awards, and making 14 commercial recordings. These achievements result from combining a shared passion for nurturing a love of singing in young people with David’s expertise as a choral trainer and Gillian’s pastoral and organisational skills. David and Gillian’s infectious enthusiasm, complementary skills and total professionalism have created, in Farnham Youth Choir, a truly world-class performance group, at the same time instilling in each young person a love of singing which stays with them long after they leave the choir.
Services to Farnham Awards 2015
