Achievers' Awards' £10,000 charity hand-over

The sequel to September's gala Awards Night at the De La Warr Pavilion came this morning when representatives of ten recipient charities posed at the Pavilion with a symbolic giant cheque.

They were: Hastings and Rother Family Friends

The Sara Lee Trust

Friends of Rother District CAB

Sidley Community Association

9th Bexhill Scouts

Hastings and Bexhill Mencap

Hastings and Rother Multiple Sclerosis Society

Macmillan Cancer Support

Hastings and Rother Samaritans

SARAH '“ formerly the Stroke Association

Next year's Bexhill Achievers' Award will be even bigger and better, co-organisers Ilian Granville of Bexhill Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and Observer group editor Peter Lindsey said, announcing that the awards ceremony would be held in July

Not every award recipient had been able to attend last September's awards night.

Town Mayor Cllr Paul Lendon presented the 999 Award to Bexhill fire station manager Tony McCoad; to resident of the year award finalist consultant surgeon Roger Plail for his part with colleagues in raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for Prostate Research; to former All Saints' School teacher Carolyn Parton for her services to education and to the Vicar of St Stephen's, the Rev David Frost a finalist in the volunteer of the year category.

Town MP Gregory Barker told guests: "As an MP you get to meet some very famous and exciting people.

"But it takes something like the Bexhill Achievers' Awards to make you realise that there are some very remarkable people right on your own doorstep.

"I said at the presentations back in the summer that I was so impressed and proud by all the stories of people living in our community.

"It is wonderful that the Observer can highlight their stories just for one evening '“ and one morning in November '“ and stop and say there are some fantastic success stories and amazing people in our community doing unsung work.

"In the national media there are so many bad-news stories '“ and some good-news as well '“ so it is good that our local paper can take time to highlight some of the good things, the really worthwhile things '“ that happen in our town.

"Therefore, I am glad that the Bexhill Achievers' Awards , through the Bexhill Observer, are going from strength to strength '“ and the reason for that success is the people who are this room."

Ilian Granville traced how the annual awards had grown since the Observer lent its backing. Some 300 people attended the 2006 ceremony at St Richard's Catholic College. More than 400 were at this year's pavilion awards night '“ enabling 10,000 to be raised for charity.

Next year it was hoped to draw more than 500 to the event and to fill the pavilion balcony as well as the auditorium.

Peter Lindsey thanked main sponsors Hastings Direct for their support and the De La Warr Pavilion Trust for staging the event.

Thanking all sponsors, he said: "Without our sponsors the money would not be there."

*In the New Year the Observer will again be inviting the public to nominate the people whose efforts make Bexhill the community it is so that they can be considered for the 2008 Bexhill Achievers' Awards.