Annual Town Meeting & presentation of Citizen Awards 2011
Award recipients: Alan Syme, Ray Kilby, Colin Phelps, John Hyde
CITIZEN AWARDS
Arising from the Council's consideration of suggestions from last year's Annual Town Meeting, the Annual Town Meeting held on Thursday 10th March 2011 saw the first presentation of the Citizen Awards by the Chairman, Councillor Brian Collier.
The Awards were advertised and nominations called for. Councillors who considered the nominations decided that this year we would make four awards, which span many aspects of town life and years. The awards were in no particular order.
Mr Alan Syme
Alan joined Stotfold Junior Football Club as a parent and volunte
er in 1998 then worked to improve and develop the Club over the next 13 years. He has been a helper, committee member, manager, and then Chairman of the Club for six years. Through his stewardship the Club now has teams from under 6 under 18 boys and under 10 and under 12 girls. An adult disability team was formed running for two years until they outgrew the club's facilities. The Club involves 220 children and young adults enabling them to enjoy football and develop as citizens. Because of Alan's leadership the Club was awarded the FA Charter Standard, Development Club Status in 2003 making the Club the first in Mid-Bedfordshire and third in the Country to achieve this significant award.
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Ray Kilby
Ray was nominated for several different aspects of his service to Stotfold. He has been involved in scouting for over thirty years, as a Leader, 
Quartermaster, Group Scout Leader, and Scout Group Chairman. He has influenced the lives of generations of Stotfold boys. he has used his work skills to the benefit of the Group including building and developing the famous 'Gun Run' modelled on the Royal Navy Gun Run at the Royal Tournament. He became involved as a craftsman with incredible skill and experience in rebuilding the machinery at Stotfold Mill. This is nowhere better shown than his work in making a new Great Spur Wheel which involves many different types of wood, each of which has its own qualities. Since then he has become miller and regularly works the machinery and explains it to visitors. He is a Trustee of the Mill. His humour is illustrated by the various model rats, mice and other objects around the mill and machinery. Ray is also Site Agent at Roecroft School. There he does more than the job description dictates. He meets Father Christmas regularly, makes scenery and other things for the school, and if you look closely you might see a rat or mouse that has escaped from the Mill.
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Colin Phelps
Colin, as Headteacher of St Mary's Lower School, encourages children to go beyond the school boundaries into the community from which
both the children and community benefit. Pupils take part in the Mill's Steam Fair and Country Show, St Mary's Summer Fete, St Mary's Harvest Festival and Christingle Services and the Methodist Church Monday Club. Senior citizens are invited to coffee mornings and the Harvest Festival Assembly. Fifteen years ago Colin set up the St Mary's After School Hours Club (SMASH), he also helped to establish the Red Bear Children's Centre which provides help, support and advice for families with children under the age of five years throughout the town. Colin is the lynch pin in the organisation of the Stotfold Festival, which in its current form is now in its seventh year. The Festival involves our schools and many local voluntary organisations who are able to use the Festival to increase their profile, inform other members of the community, and raise funds.
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John Hyde
The restoration of the Mill could not have happened without John. The original Trustees wanted to use as many local volunteers and craftsmen as possible. He had the skill to rebuild the wooden structure in as near as possible the original form. After that he was able to become a Trustee of the Mill and worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes in the development of the Mill and the events that take place. Few will know that he cuts the grass on Millennium Green before the Steam Fair, and is heavily involved in the set up of the event. More than this, a remark he made to the Chairman some years ago sums up why each of the recipients do what they do in their own fields, in John's case he said " I do it for my love for the heritage of Stotfold".
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GUEST SPEAKERS
Guest speakers for this year's meeting were PCSO Ann Jeeves from Bedfordshire Police on the new Street Watch Scheme, and Ann Holmes from Central Bedfordshire Council on the elections process. Details on the Street Watch Scheme can be obtained from Bedfordshire Police or the Town Council offices. Further details on the forthcoming elections can be obtained from the Electoral Services Officer at Central Beds Council, or the Town Clerk.
