The weather was kind as the Kingsbridge Community Champions gathered to receive their prizes and certificates presented by outgoing town mayor Cllr Philip Cole.
He paid tribute to each of the winners.
Chris Barnwell has organized Walking for Health in Kingsbridge for over 15 years.
The walks are incredibly popular and attended by 30 plus people.
Many friendships and support networks have formed because of Chris’s work.
She also organises coffee mornings to raise funds and cover the cost of leaflets to advertise the walks.
Chris is a second Champion nominee.
It is the second time that Nicola Fox has been nominated.
Nicola spends a lot of time at Cookworthy Museum and helps with the Talking Newspapers.
She also helps as a member of the Fair Week Committee and as Secretary of South Hams Society. She still finds time to pen articles that are published in the Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette.
Judy Hales volunteers for at least five different places in the town.
She helps out at Abbeyfield House with their raffle, coffee mornings, and quiz afternoons.
She also helps the Kingsbridge in Bloom team every year and can often be seen tending the Gateway Garden opposite Abbeyfield House.
Judy is also one of the organisers at the ‘Compassionate Café’ and volunteers at Cookworthy Museum’s shop and the Cancer Research shop, as well.
Geoff Rossetti is a stalwart of the Kingsbridge & District Light Railway aka the Little Train.
He is always cheerful and will turn out to run the train even on the coldest days if the demand is there.
Children love him and he gets great pleasure in seeing happy, smiling faces of children and adults alike.
He was described as a ‘Kingsbridge treasure.’
Sarah Stephens runs the 2nd Kingsbridge Brownies and has dedicated many years to running weekly guide sessions for girls aged 7 to 16’ish.
Sarah also actively promotes local activities such as Kingsbridge Nature Festival – and even Community Champions.
She has also been the County Commissioner in the past and given extra time to the organisation.
Vicky Smith runs 2nd Kingsbridge Guides and Rangers. Like Sarah, she volunteers a huge amount of her time and energy running weekly guide sessions teaching young girls a wide range of topics and skills.
She works at Kingsbridge Community College, and she also runs the forest school and other activities.
Steph Pope runs the Kingsbridge Nurslings breastfeeding & mama support group at the Family Church.
The group welcomes all from bump to newborn, to older Nurslings on Wednesday mornings and offers a warm and welcoming space where new parents can get feeding advice and chat to others in the same situation.
Caroline Bright set up and runs the Pop-in toddler group.
She also supports Nurslings on Tuesdays.
Her crafting talents are most widely seen during Kingsbridge Celebrates Christmas where she adorned the bollards with her knitted creations for everyone to enjoy!
One winner who couldn’t attend is Bob Rogers, who was nominated for his astonishing 71-year stint with the town’s Silver Band. He joined aged just 12 and is still playing aged 83!