2017 winners
Please see above for the winners of 2017 and information about why they were nominated.
Janet Leadbeater - January winner
Janet is being honoured with this Good Citizen Award for the work she undertakes to improve the quality of life for those living in the Bell Green area. She has worked for many years as Chair of BATRA (Bell Green Tenants and Residents Association). By arranging ‘walkabouts’ with Councillors and City Officers she has enabled local residents to show them the issues that affect the community; she also works tirelessly to ensure that issues such as street cleanliness are reported.
Janet sat on the committee of ‘Community First’ (Government grant) and her local knowledge was invaluable.
Janet has arranged many social and community events. Particularly of note are the Remembrance Day services which are attended by representatives of the Armed Forces, Police, schools and places of worship; she has led carol singing, arranged for stalls to be set up for local charities and liaised with Whitefriars to enable people attending to have refreshments; she has ensured that Bell Green has had its own Christmas lights and is instrumental in arranging a magnificent Christmas party every year. Janet has even brought the ‘Big Top’ to Bell Green at one of the summer festivals she organises.
Working with local businesses to support these events is another aspect of Janet’s dedication to the local community.
Janet is a bastion of the Bell Green community and rightly deserving of this Good Citizen Award.
Mark Farr - February winner
Mark is being honoured with this Good Citizen Award for the work he undertakes for the Coventry Central Young Firefighters Association. Mark dedicates many voluntary hours per week to provide diversionary activities for the young people of Radford, Coundon, Spon End and the City Centre by running a fire cadet group. By leading this group Mark and his team are encouraging, supporting and providing opportunities for the personal development of the young people.
Mark has been a member of the Young Firefighters for over 20 years, as a cadet and a Volunteer Instructor/Officer in Charge.
Mark and his team work tirelessly to involve and integrate the cadets into their communities by teaching them the values of giving something back to society. Mark organises several community events for the Cadets to attend and recently involved them in a community clean-up to support members of the Nauls Mill Park area.
Working with local businesses to support these events and organise local fundraising is another aspect of Mark’s dedication to the work that he is clearly passionate about. Whilst Coventry Central Young Firefighters is one of several Fire Cadet Groups within the West Midlands, the Coventry Branch under the instruction of Mark is one of the most successful in the area. Mark’s branch has 50 young people which is the biggest youth membership across the service.
Mark goes that extra mile to make the young people of Coventry better community citizens and is rightly deserving of this Good Citizen Award.
Steve Warwick - March winner
This Good Citizen Award is presented to Lieutenant (SCC) Steve Warwick, RNR to acknowledge the work he undertakes for Coventry Sea Cadets. Steve became a cadet as a teenager, progressed to a uniformed instructor to become, since 2004, the Commanding Officer of Coventry Sea Cadets. As an instructor Steve taught hundreds of young people aged between 10-18 in the basics of naval traditions, seamanship, boating, marching, first aid and basic training.
Steve dedicates much of his time and effort towards supporting the development of both cadets and staff within his unit. He communicates with young people at their own level encouraging them to try their best and work as a team. He has helped shy and sometimes problematic cadets to mature into disciplined and confident young adults. He adopts an open door policy, allowing the cadets and unit staff to speak with him at any time about issues they may have. His dedication has seen Coventry Sea Cadets become one of the top units out of 400 in the country.
Steve is respected by all staff, Trustees, cadets and their parents. He has often been asked by other units in the region for his support and encouragement, without which they may have been forced to close.
Steve has carried out these duties whilst working full time and having a family.
Steve steps down as Commanding Officer in October to take a well-deserved promotion. This Good Citizen Award is in recognition of the support he has offered to the many young people of Coventry who he has supported and encouraged through their time with Coventry Sea Cadets.
John & Margaret Hartley - September Winners
John & Margret Hartley have been honoured with the Good Citizen Award for their remarkable service to the community of Coventry. John has been a member of the Rotary Club of Coventry for 34 years supported by his wife Margaret, the Rotary movement consists of men and women who want to help others locally and around the world, including young children and those recovering from natural disasters. During most of his membership he has been secretary of the Community Service Committee and for over 25 years has been responsible for organising a week’s Outward Bound Course for dozens of young people with disabilities.
Outside of the Rotary Club, John supports Godiva Harriers, he is an Associate Member of the City of Coventry Freemen’s Guild and he has links to the Lord Mayor’s Peace Committee and the Coventry-Hiroshima Friendship Group in Japan.
Through all of his work, his wife, Margaret has supported him and provided secretarial support for John so that he can continue to provide all he does for this community. Amongst many other contributions she has baked cakes, applied face painting at events, as well as working for many years for Children’s Services at Coventry City Council.
It is evident that John and Margaret are both loving and caring individuals who are passionate about what they do and love being able to help people in any way they can. Their actions truly merit this Good Citizen Award.
Albert Neale - October Winner
Albert has been honoured with the Good Citizen Award for his outstanding service to the communities of the city. Over the years Albert has embarked on many ventures, he has been a Parent and Governor at Walsgrave Church of England Primary School where he helped to organise many fund raising events including the school’s annual fete, he was also a volunteer for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme undertaking tasks which included assessing walking routes, driving, being the kit manager and supervisor for tent building. All of these supported young people to reach their goals within the scheme and helped them to become more independent.
Along with his passion for helping the younger generation, Albert has been the driving force for establishing the latest Foodbank distribution point at Walsgrave Baptist Church. This provides three-day emergency food parcels and support to local people and families in need.
Through his voluntary work he has shown tremendous commitment to the people of Coventry, his actions justly reflect his character and he is well deserved of this Good Citizen Award.
Edwina Jones - December Winner
Edwina has been honoured with the Good Citizen Award for her outstanding work in the Upper Stoke area of Coventry. She has been the secretary of Stoke Residents’ Association for nine years and treasurer for seven; she is on the committee of Bell Green Social Club where she helps to run family nights once a month, she is also the chairwoman of the Stoke Heath Older People’s Club.
Edwina regularly gives up her spare time to organise events and charity fundraisers for a number of community organisations, including the Stoke Heath Community Centre, the Retired Senior Volunteer Programme and the Morris Common Steering Group. Alongside her many roles she also finds the time to prepare meals to promote healthy living for the lunch club which serves subsidised meals.
Edwina is constantly endeavouring to raise funds to enable activities such as Adult Education classes, Art Club, and older peoples’ groups to continue. For the last eight years she has been a tireless volunteer helping to transform the Valley Road building into a warm, welcoming hive of activity. It is evident that Edwina is an asset to the community and is truly deserving of this Good Citizen Award.