The Abergavenny Chronicle’s first Community in Kindness Awards were held on Wednesday July 13 at the Angel Hotel in Abergavenny, with community heroes rewarded for their wonderful support.

Below we meet the individuals who were nominated for our Community In Kindness awards our sponsors and the people who nominated our winners.

The main sponsor for this year’s event is Abergavenny Town Council.

A spokesperson for the council said they were honoured to be the main sponsors of the Community in Kindness Awards in conjunction with The Chronicle.

‘‘Being able to recognise the contribution to society by those who go above and beyond is something we are all more aware of down to the unprecedented times we have all come through since Covid came into our lives.

‘‘Abergavenny Town Council were humbled to read through the nominations received for the awards, and the Charity of the Year Award.

‘‘We expected to see some of the many amazing local charities nominated for this – instead, we found that the community had nominated individuals who had gone that extra mile to fundraise for charities and raise awareness of those charities via their connections around the town.

‘‘To be able to present the award to Julian Edwards, such a well-known face in the town, was an honour.

‘‘Julian is a worthy recipient thanks to his sometimes quirky fundraising efforts!

‘‘Being able to send out such a huge amount of equipment and supplies to Ukraine thanks to his fundraising in response to the outpouring of support being offered by his customers and the wider community was a great achievement.

‘‘Abergavenny Town Council want to extend their thanks to every one of the winners for their incredible contributions to the whole community.

‘‘To see you all receive these awards and hear each of the nominations, was inspiring.

‘‘There are a great many unsung heroes in our midst, and these awards go a little way to show our thanks and appreciation for all that they do every single day.’’

Julian Edwards was nominated by his friend Nigel Jewell for the charity award.

Nigel says: “Julian ia a wonderful, caring and hard working pillar of the community. In addition yo running a busy stall he devotes time to welcoming residents and visitors to this lovely town and helping others less fortunate. As a Good Samaritan he is involved in many good causes with ‘hands on’ support of deserving projects.

He has raised money for autism charity doing a fundraising walk around town dressed as a frog! Delivered around 500 Easter eggs to local famiies during lockdown; raised £250 in 24 hours for Children cancer charity with press up challenge; raised £1,000 for Abergavenny litter pickers and was involved in raising £25,000 in aid for Ukraine resulting in 8.5 pallets of goods being taken to Russia.

‘’He has a heart of gold and thoroughly deserves this recognition.’’

Heart of the Community: This award aims to recognise someone in the region who has pulled their community together through the past 24 months.

This award was sponsored by David Taylor Garages.

The winner of this category has maybe organised online events, fundraisers or done their best to provide entertainment and information for those around them, this individual has been at the heart of their community and improved the quality of life for those around them.

The winner is Bonnie Russell who was nominated by her friend Stuart Rogers.

Stuart say: ‘‘The village of Llanelen look to Bonnie Russell.. nothing seems to happen here unless Bonnie is involved. Usually she is at the forefront of any activity or organisation of events here.

‘‘Often she is the driving force cum project leader or even instigator of what’s on.

‘‘For many years she has been the secretary of our busy village hall, bringing exceptional clerical and organisational skills from her former employment.

‘‘She has been our caring community councillor ofor the past 12 years and a former churchwarden at our well cvared for Church of St Helen and now has the dual role of administrator and treasurer.

‘‘Also for many years Bonnie was an excellent secretary of the Women’s Institute here and the driving force behind the Llanfoist OAP Hall from its inception in the nearby village of her birth.

‘‘Over the last few years she has obtained sponsorship or national lottery grants to tarmac the ageing churchyard paths, upgraded electrics throughout the village hall, created a memorial flower bed and has campaigned for the superb exercise equipment in the village playing fields for all to use.

‘‘Despite her advanced years she still has the amazing drive to set things up and the determination and ability to keep it going for the benefit of us all in Llanelen.’’

David Taylor Garages also sponsored the Volunteer of the Year category.

This award aims to recognise an individual who has made a difference to their community and the lives of others through volunteering, who has given up their own time to help others with no financial gain especially during the tough times of the last two years.

The winner of this award was Roy Williams who was nominated by his friend Judith Vicary who said she voted for Roy because he volunteers extensively and for long hours.

Judith said: “As a friend of Bailey Park he uses his herculean strength to fell old trees, trim hedges, dig holes and support less physically strong volunteers.

“He has made watering the plants easier by developing a pump system to draw water from the street. He is kind, trustworthy and goes the extra mile until the job is done..

“He cleans the coffee machine at Nevill Hall coffee shop every week and is a member of the hospital’s League of Friends, Keep Abergavenny Tidy and litter picks at every opportunity.

“Roy is considerate awards his elderly neighbours, cuts their grass and does other jobs. He puts in more than 12 hours volunteering every week and he is 74.”

Raising awareness: Presented to a person (or business) who is making their community aware of what can be done to fight climate change, help the environment and reduce our carbon footprint.

This award was sponsored by Abergavenny Garden Centre and was won by Helen Davies who was nominated by Susan Heathcote.

Helen is a member of Keep Abergavenny Tidy among other community groups in Abergavenny.

Susan said: ‘‘Helen gathered together a team of like-minded volunteers to collect litter from The Meadows and the town.

‘‘She has inspired and encouraged these volunteers to make our town a place to be proud of and for others to admire.

‘‘She thoroughly deserves this award.’’

Young Person of the Year - under 25 was sponsored by Christ College, Brecon.

This award aims to recognise those under 25 making a positive impact in the community. The nominee should have done something exceptional during the last 24 months using a positive attitude and approach to become a role model for other young people in the community.

Young Person of the Year - under 25 was won by Oscar Pearson who has seflessly raised money for charity.

The Good Neighbour Award was sponsored by James Dean estate agents.

This award aims to recognise an individual who has gone to extraordinary lengths to help and support their community, charity or colleagues in 2020 or 2021, without looking for recognition, someone who strives to make their community a better place, or someone who made a significant contribution to help those in it. This award is to than an individual who always puts others before themselves and let them know their efforts do not go unrecognised.

It was won by Judy Vaughan who was nominated by her daughter Nicola Vaughan and endorsed by reader Gwenllian Knighton who read about Judyin the Chronicle.

She said: ‘‘At a mature age I have undertaken some postgraduate studies in the last few years and I doubt I would have successfully completed this without the computer support given by Judy.

‘‘She would always come as soon as she is called (and still does) when a problem is reported and nothing has been too much trouble - even giving advice over the phone if a visit was delayd. She is a good friend.’’

Nicola nominated her mum for all the help she gives not only to her own family but to the homeless, vulnerable, elderly and those nearing and in poverty whilst reducing landfill lthrough the charity FareShare and Food for All Gwent.

Says Nicola: ‘‘My mum has done so much for other she is a true inspiration to our community and I’d like to thank her for looking after us all.’’

Primary Teacher of the Year: This award aims to recognise a teacher or learning support assistant of anyone aged 10 years and under who goes above the call of duty to support the needs of their pupils, especially in what has been a particularly challenging time. The award aims to celebrate an individual who has been able to bring learning to life, supporting pupils beyond the school goes with at-home learning.

The award was sponsored by Gravells Kia of Abergavenny and was won by Lucy Storey who couldn’t attend the event so the award was picked up by her mum Maria who nominated her daughter.

Maria said: ‘‘My daughter is the most kind person you could meet and is always on the look out for stuff to improve the learning of the children she teaches.

‘‘She loves her job and loves to see the children happy and is always willing to do things for the school in her own time and buy things for the school with her own money.

‘‘I am proud to call her my daugher.’’

Business of the Year sponsored by the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny.

This award recognises a business that despite the pandemic has worked to support and make a difference in their community without regard for financial reward. This could be for a contribution to charity or fundraising, training apprentices or simply what it gives to local people. While 2020 and 2021 was a tough year for business the winner went the extra mile in their community.

This award was sponsored by the Angel Hotel and was won by Nadia Pye of Ambika Social.

Nadia had several nominations from her customers who all praised her for setting up her business in lockdown at a time when many of us were confined indoors or only allowed out to exercise.

One nominee was Jayne Allin who says: ‘‘Duroing the first lockdown Nadia converted a horsebox into a model coffee bar which she drove daily to Linda Vista Gardens and from there she served cofee, hot chocolae and homemade cakes.

‘‘It became a focal point for members of the local community to meet at a distance, socialise, reconnect and aslo enjoy the wonderful gardens.

‘‘This slightly quirky idea and the social companship and connections it generated serves recognition.’’

Sports Club of the Year: This award recognises a team or club that has made a significant contribution to their community over the last year, recognising the work they do that makes a real difference, whether supporting in the community or engaging their members and beyond in physical activity and sport. This award aims to shine a spotlight on clubs and projects in our community.

Winner of the Sports Club of the Year is Abergavenny Boxing Club run by Kieran Gething in Union Road West.

The club was nominated by Kieran’s wife Emma who says: ‘‘I think that Kieran deserves a nomination as over the last few months the boxing club has been a main focus for him to bring boxing into the community of Abergavenny.

‘‘He has researched tirelessly for a venue, fundraised money for the gym acquiring kit and facilities to be used.

‘‘His aim is to have ‘Boxing for the Community’ and he has volunteered every evening running three classes to build up a hub for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

‘‘It is a big focus for Kieran to hopefully create some champions from the area through amateur boxing with WABA but also to have a space just for people’s well being and mental health and release within the sport.

‘’It is not just a place for competitive sport but also for just for fitness- ages running from five-year old to mature adults, ranging in fitness and disabilities.

‘‘He only hopes for the club to grow further and become a place that will make the town even better.’’

Triumph Over Adversity

Winner: Dawn James

Sponsored by Abergavenny Town Council - Triumph over Adversity: This award aims to recognise an individual or a team who have overcome adversity and still come out on top and taught us a lesson in being thankful for what we have. Someone who has fought against the odds and used their experience to inspire others and even improve lives.

Winner District Nurse Dawn James who has fought against the odds and used her experience to inspire others and improve lives. Nominee Sara Chicken says her daughter Emily who is severely disabled is one of those people who Dawn has helped during the past two years.

Dawn is deputy sister based at Mardy Park Resource Centre. Helen says Dawn is a dedicated, supportive person who goes the extra mile, especially during the pandemic when she went above and beyond to ensure her patients were looked after in trying times providing extra support when needed. She has exceptional leadership talents and her and her team ensure patients in the community are cared for, especially during the pandemic when Covid cases were rift.

Says Helen: ‘’Dawn has definitely gone the extra mile for our family and we will be forever grateful, she deserves to be recognised for a community in kindness award.”