October 2016 – Love Barrow Awards

Sports Volunteer of the Year 2017 Nominee – Graham Shaw

October 31, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Graham Shaw has been nominated for the Sports Volunteer of the Year Award.

Graham Shaw and family- Photo from G.Shaw

Graham is the main driving force behind the Hindpool Tigers Junior Rugby Club, a small youth rugby club in Hindpool. The club has nearly 200 young people signed on to the club which gives them the opportunity to learn discipline, teamwork & also keeps them fit & healthy.

As well as having a full time job and two young children of his own, he still finds time to manage the club and is constantly improving the quality of attention all the children and club gets and has put in a lot of effort to increase the number of children that have joined the club. The club coaches young people of all the age groups from 5 years upwards and they do this free of charge.

“Hindpool Tigers Juniors are a credit to the town and it is thanks to the likes of Graham Shaw and the coaches of this great club.”

The parents of the young people that attend say that Graham and his fellow coaches are amazing with the children and they have so much fun. The effort they put in is outstanding and come rain or shine they are always there.

Graham with the Hindpool Tigers – photo from G.Shaw

Graham and the club have subsidised trips to super league games in which the young people have been given the opportunity to mascot and appear on tv with professional players and teams at games which in turn helps drive interest into the sport and the local club. He also organises charity events to raise money for Make a Wish foundation & also to help with the running costs of the Hindpool Tigers Junior teams. These events include parachute jumps, comedy nights & a fireworks display.

Well Done Graham in helping make the sports people of tomorrow!

If you know a person, a group, charity or business who deserves some recognition then you have until the 18th November 2016 to nominate them for a Love Barrow Award 2017.

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Please note all information is from the nomination form (s) and some information may be incorrect at time of publishing.

Citizen of the Year 2017 Nominee – Gill Grisedale

October 31, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Gill Grisedale has been nominated for the Citizen of the Year Award sponsored by Furness Building Society.

Gill Grisedale is the Community Pastor at St Marks Chruch in Barrow-in-Furness.

Through her role she has provided groups and services that people in her community have express a need for. Gill is never sat still going in and around the community, always compiling lists of available help and resources. Never has one person started so many different and diverse groups and is also heavily involved in making sure they are sustainable . From babies through to the elderly no one is unreachable and all can be helped or indeed help.

Gill working at the clothes bank. Photo – Evening Mail – Milton Haworth

St Marks has a fully functioning clothes bank, there is a free lunch provided on Monday, craft group and a toddlers group, social groups, youth clubs, youth cafe, free hugs and a caring word. Gill does all this as well as being a mum and foster parent, wife and recently becoming a hedgehog adoption centre, there is nothing this woman will do to help everyone.

“You are trapped in a web of love and care when you meet Gill, she makes a difference to everyone she meets and is humble in all she does. An amazing lady with an amazing heart.”

Gill also works with homeless people, has an emergency food cache for those in need. On one Christmas Eve, a young woman with children had escaped from an abusive partner and was given emergency accommodation so Gill and her family stepped in to help buy electricity and gas coupons, she went to the shops and bought a few clothes toiletries and then a few presents for the children’s christmas presents to make sure that family had a Christmas Day.

The funding for Gill’s post ends later this year ( 2016 ) and there is little prospect of it being renewed but Gill has made some ripples in the sea of deprivation about us and has asked that her congregation and the wider community continue to do the same and continue with the good work.

Well Done Gill, you are a shining light in the community!

If you know a person, a group, charity or business who deserves some recognition then you have until the 18th November 2016 to nominate them for a Love Barrow Award 2017.

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Please note all information is from the nomination form (s) and some information may be incorrect at time of publishing.

Young Citizen of the Year Nominee – Jessica Grisedale

October 29, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Jessica has been nominated for the Young Citizen of the Year Award Sponsored by Kimberly Clark.

Jessica Grisedale, Aged 11, has been nominated for having her hair cut off for charity.

Jessica before the chop! Photo Evening Mail – Milton Haworth

When Jessica found out that her friend Aimee was suffering from Leukemia and was going to lose her hair through chemotherapy, she decided to step and and volunteer to have her 10 inches of hair chopped off, not only to help make her friend feel better about losing her hair but to raise money for charity and to donate the hair to other young girls who need to wear wigs while going through treatment.

Jessica having her hair cut. Photo from Evening Mail – Milton Howarth

Jessica’s mother, Gill said that Jessica was so protective of her hair but as soon as she found out that Aimee was going to lose heres, she asked if she could give Aimee her hair.

“Jessica is always helping at events and is a caring thoughtful young lady who is so wise in her very young years.”

Jessica had her hair cut during part of a fashion show at t Marks Church in Buccleuch Street, Barrow.

As well as donating her hair Jessica also raised over £800 for Ward 48 of the Manchester Childrens Hospital. She also fund raises and takes part in collections for various organisations and is always first on hand to volunteer her time to help organise and plan events,

If you know a person, a group, charity or business who deserves some recognition then you have until the 18th November 2016 to nominate them for a Love Barrow Award 2017.

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Please note all information is from the nomination form (s) and some information may be incorrect at time of publishing.

Citizen of the Year 2017 Nominee – Denis Horan

October 26, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Denis Horan has been nominated for the Citizen of the Year 2017 Award Sponsored by Furness Building Society.

Who is Denis Horan?

Denis Horan is a local entertainer, singer, radio presenter and family guy – he’s a recognisable face around the town as he has been involved with many local fundraising events too.

Dennis Horan – Photo from D.Horan

Denis has entertained the population of Barrow for at least 15 years. This year, when the big town centre Xmas Light Switch On event was under threat of being cancelled, he put together a small group, met with the Barrow Council and has stepped up to the plate to organise, at very short notice, a community event to ensure the switch on of Barrow Christmas lights takes place.

“Denis is a lovely man, who over the years has given his time entertaining the town, also helping to raise money for many charities. He has shown he is determined to support and entertain Barrow.”

Well Done Denis, keep the songs coming and keep entertaining the town, and good luck with the switch on!

If you know a person, a group, charity or business who deserves some recognition then you have until the 18th November 2016 to nominate them for a Love Barrow Award 2017.

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Please note all information is from the nomination form (s) and some information may be incorrect at time of publishing.

Citizen of the Year 2017 Nominee – Fiona Lowther

October 26, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Fiona Lowther has been nominated for the Citizen of the Year 2017 Award Sponsored by Furness Building Society.

“Every Little Helps” they say and that is certainly the case for Citizen of the Year nominee Fiona Lowther.

Who is Fiona?

Fiona works at Tesco Metro in Roose as the Community Champion and is a familiar face to anyone who shops in the store, as she often works in “front of house” greeting shoppers with her latest charity project or raffle.

Photo by North West Evening Mail

Fiona has been nominated for her work with Tesco and the Community which sees her spend a vast amount of time fundraising, cleaning up litter from the community and teaching kids about farm to fork which through Tesco gives free experiences for 4 to 11-year-olds at a store or supplier to find out the journey of their food, Fiona also educates people about healthy eating by visiting local schools. As well as all this, Fiona also regularly raises money for Diabetes UK

When asked about Fiona’s special qualities, the nomination sums it up perfectly,

“…She’s kind, caring, has a big heart full of love, she’s an amazing person who deserves the award…”

Well Done Fiona, you are an inspiration to us all!

If you know a person, a group, charity or business who deserves some recognition then you have until the 18th November 2016 to nominate them for a Love Barrow Award 2017.

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Please note all information is from the nomination form (s) and some information may be incorrect at time of publishing.

Community Focused Business 2017 Nominee – Womens Community Matter’s

October 25, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Women’s Community Matters have been nominated for the Community Focused Business of the Year Award.

Women’s Community Matters was established in 2014 as a centre for women in the area to get access to help support and guidance in all aspects of life.

Who Are they?

Based in Duke Street in Barrow-in-Furness, the core team of Women’s Community Matters live and breathe the philosophy that Every Woman Matters. The team are made up of real women, who understand the pressures, the challenges and the successes that women face on a daily basis and are supported by volunteers and a wide variety of other organisations and business throughout the area.

Women’s Community Matters help to make a positive difference to the lives of women in the Barrow area. They help in all ways providing resources to women in crisis and those who are vulnerable and at risk and provide a friendly, safe centre where you can simply pop in for a cup of tea and a piece of cake!

It doesn’t matter about your age or background, the centre welcomes all women aged 16+.

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Photo by Women’s Community Matters

They run Drop in sessions, activities and courses where women can learn and grow and have their own clothes bank.

The team strive to create an atmosphere of empowerment and self-development, removing obstacles and dealing with issues together. A lot of the women who benefit from the centre go on to help and participate in the day to day running as volunteers, trustees and members.

If you know a person, a group, charity or business who deserves some recognition then you have until the 18th November 2016 to nominate them for a Love Barrow Award 2017.

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Please note all information is from the nomination form (s) and some information may be incorrect at time of publishing.

Group or Project 2017 Nominee – Help the Homeless

October 24, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Help the Homeless have been nominated for the Group or Project of the Year Award 2017 sponsored by Phil Collier Associates.

Help the Homeless was set up on Black Friday in 2015 to help raise funds primarily for the Furness Homeless Support Group but to also support other homeless people in the Furness area.

Who Are they?

Help the Homeless is run by an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life, aged 16 to 45. These people want to make a difference to thier community and the people in it. Their attitude is that no idea is to big or small and they will give anything a go as long as it benefits the charity’s aims and goals.

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Charity Night at the Nines – Photo by Darren McSweeney

The group has been involved in goods, clothing and essentials collections. There have been two music events to raise money, hosted at the Nines Club in Barrow-in-Furness. On their very first event they raised over £5000. They have also arranged local businesses to donate left-over food.

To date the group have raised nearly £6500. All events have been arranged at no cost, so without the need to pay out on overheads, every penny raised goes to the charity.

The latest event amount was donated to the Special Care Baby Unit at Furness General Hospital, in memory of Dean Zaccarini, a much loved and talented local musician, who sadly passed away earlier in the year. Dean was one of the groups major contributors at the first event.

Well Done Help The Homeless and your team, you are an inspiration to us all!

If you know a person, a group, charity or business who deserves some recognition then you have until the 18th November 2016 to nominate them for a Love Barrow Award 2017.

[DKB url=”http://lovebarrowawards.co.uk/nominate/” text=”NOMINATE NOW” type=”large” width=”175″ color=”#f7b2bf” opennewwindow=”no”]

Please note all information is from the nomination form (s) and some information may be incorrect at time of publishing.

Here we go!

October 6, 2016 Love Barrow Admin

Wow! Where did that year go?

Today the 2017 Love Barrow Award nominations open (6th Oct). It hardly seems 5 minutes ago that we were celebrating the Best of Barrow at the Forum with the glitzy award ceremony!

But, time waits for nobody and here we are, opening nominations again – the clock is ticking and it’ll be closed again before you know it in November, then it will be Christmas, then the New Year and hey, we’re heading into awards night again!

So get your thinking caps on and get nominating those local heroes – keep checking this blog for full details as the nominations start rolling in!