2016 winners
Please see above for the winners of 2016 and information about why they were nominated.
Amanda Atkins and Kris Townshend - January winner
Amanda and Kris are carers who have gone far beyond their normal duties to offer an extremely high standard of support to an end of life patient.
They showed great respect and dignity to him and would call in to see him even on their days off. His comfort and well-being were their primary concern. They worked diligently and professionally and showed great compassion; they excelled in the care they gave to their patient at his time of greatest need.
Their support also extended to the close family of their patient who were treated with respect and kindness. Their un-selfish approach to such a delicate situation illustrates the reason that Kris and Amanda are worthy Good Citizen Award winners.
Kenneth Holmes - February winner
Kenneth Holmes has worked tirelessly in a variety of roles in numerous charitable organisations in Coventry for over 30 years. These include 32 years as a Board Member of the YMCA including 20 years as Chair and, since 2010, Vice President, Chair of the Trustees of St Andrew’s Residential Care Home, Chair of The Rotary Club of Coventry together with international positions supporting a variety of charities which help the most vulnerable people in our society.
Kenneth is the Chair of the Building Advisory Board at Coventry University. This body provides a critical overview of the various degree courses and needs of the Construction Industry.
Kenneth’s passion is the preservation of churches. He has been heavily involved in the care of the 1,000 year old St Mary Magdalene Church in Wyken. Kenneth has not only provided support to many deserving causes in Coventry, but he has helped to support the very fabric of the city through his devotion to the built environment, thus proving beyond doubt that he is a true Good Citizen of Coventry.
Trevor Pepper - March winner
Trevor has served a total of 32 years in the West Midlands Special Constabulary retiring recently as a Special Inspector. During this time Trevor has carried out his duties in an enthusiastic and exceptional manner gaining the respect of colleagues in both the Regular and Special Constabulary. His zest for encouraging, motivating and supporting his peers has played a large part in the relationships he has fostered. Trevor carried out a wide range of duties including crime reduction initiatives and has made a significant contribution towards community cohesion within the City.
In addition, Trevor has excellent knowledge of the Licensing and Public Order Law. He built up a rapport with licensees and has shown positive support for security staff thus improving public safety. Trevor was awarded an Operational Commanders Commendation for dealing with an incident whilst off duty.Not only has Trevor shown great personal commitment to Coventry, his professional input has had a positive effect on the City and its citizens making it a safer place for all.
Reena Jaisiah - July winner
Reena Jaisiah is an inspirational, enterprising and dedicated volunteer and leader. She has been at the forefront of highlighting the issues of Caste based discrimination, and wrote a play to showcase real life British Asian’s experiences of caste prejudice. She has also worked with the Belgrade Theatre leading on an Asian youth theatre project tackling stereotypes of the Asian communities.
Reena has dealt with many sensitive issues including sexual exploitation of women and drug addiction. Her work has been recognised by several professional bodies and she was selected as one of the 100 most inspiring women in the Midlands.
Together with these activities Reena has also worked with children with Autism and Special Needs, young offenders, the Tamil Welfare Association and the homeless.
Reena’s tireless efforts to support and inspire the most vulnerable in our communities makes her a very deserving recipient of the Good Citizen Award.
Michael Wileman - September winner
This Good Citizen Award is presented to Michael Wileman for being a first-rate community activist who has led on numerous projects which have transformed Canley Brook and the green spaces in the area.
Michael has been instrumental in collaborating with a number of agencies to ensure the people and wildlife of Canley benefit from greener and more environmentally friendly surroundings.
Amongst his achievements are the planting of 2,000 tree saplings and 15,000 Spring bulbs, building bird and bat boxes, removing 5 tonnes of fly-tipping from Canley Brook, undertaking monthly water checks to monitor the brook, creating a social media web site to promote Canley green spaces and bringing together various community groups to volunteer their services.
Canley has benefitted greatly from Michael’s proactive approach to transforming the area. The Ten Shilling Wood and Park Wood are now wildlife havens and this is thanks to Michael’s dedication and determination to improve his local environment.
Lonnie Downes - October winner
Lonnie is awarded the Good Citizen Award for the variety of tasks he undertakes. He is Chairman of Longford CAN and led on the forming of this group which grew out of the amalgamation of several small residents associations in Longford. In this role he works tirelessly for the benefit of local residents.
As Welfare Officer for the Bedworth Branch of the Parachute Regiment Association he arranges for local fundraisers to take part in parachute jumps with the Red Devils team. In 2014 Lonnie arranged for the Lord Mayor’s Consort to undertake a tandem jump to raise money for the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal. Lonnie has numerous parachute jumps to his name, many for charities such as SSAFA, but also whilst serving in the Parachute Regiment. Lonnie also visits wounded forces personnel in hospital.
Lonnie was instrumental in setting up the Airborne Forces Memorial in the War Memorial Park. Without his support this project would not have come to fruition.
As a member of the Ricoh Arena Monitoring Group he attended many meetings regarding the building of the arena offering a lay person’s thoughts on behalf of the local community.
In 1972 Lonnie reported that poisonous waste was being dumped locally. As a result of this a bill was rushed through Parliament regarding the disposal of toxic waste and was passed in to law in March of that year.
Lonnie does not think he does anything special but his work in the community is now being recognised for his commitment, hard work and sincerity to all; he is a real Community Champion.
Jim Sweeney and John Robinson - December winners
This Good Citizen Award to Jim Sweeney and John Robinson is for their selfless devotion to the young people of Coventry, for organising and running short football sessions, including training, games and competitions, for over 20 years.
Over those years they have offered a variety of football experiences to local young people, including the 11 a side version, but it has always been the short football, the 4 a side variety, that predominated. They have introduced thousands of young people to this sport, with ages ranging from 5 to early teens. The emphasis is on taking part no matter how good their football skills; participation and fair play are key. Many come from the Longford, Bell Green area but others, both boys and girls, come from all parts of the city.
At a time of concern regarding youth obesity Jim and John offer a sporting option in a safe and supportive environment. Four-a-side football is all about sportsmanship and Jim and John injected this into the rules. They have given young people from all walks of life a direction towards good citizenship.
They have invested a large amount of their own time on this project. The courts need to be set up for each session and outside the events they spend numerous hours seeking sponsorship and organising related aspects to the football itself. In the past these have included ensuring medals are given to participants to mark special occasions and for participating in competitions run in parallel to the World Cup, the recent Euros and the Olympics.
Jim and John are true community people, freely giving their time for the benefit of others and therefore worthy recipients of the Good Citizen Award.