Wakefield's community heroes recognised in the Yorkshire Big Thank You Awards 2020

For the last few weeks, your Express, in partnership with our sister titles across the county, has been seeking nominations for community groups and individuals who have made a difference throughout 2020.

The Big Thank You: These are the faces of Wakefield's community heroes

Hundreds of nominations were received, and we were touched by the fantastic stories of those who have made such a difference to so many people this year.

The 11 winners were unveiled at a star studded virtual ceremony, with TV presenter Harry Gration, Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, actresses Verity Rushworth and Angela Griffin, Emmerdale actor Bradley Johnson, BBC Look North’s Keeley Donovan among those to make appearances.

So please join us in giving a Big Thank You to all of our winners and nominees.

Your Big Thank You 2020 winners are:

Bobby Singh, Pontefract

Bobby grew up in Pontefract and now runs BB Nevison Superstore and Post Office. He has been nominated for these awards 13 times by separate people.

He has given away bags of free food to families in need during lockdown and has also set up a delivery service at his own expense, let people have tabs who are short of money and helped out wherever he can with free giveaways and competitions.

One nominee called him “a real life superhero” and said he should be recognised for all his hard work and kindness because he’s got a heart of gold and would help anybody and always goes the extra mile.

At the start of lockdown in March, he said: “I know a lot of elderly and vulnerable people and I wouldn’t like to see them go without, this is my way of supporting them and giving back to them.

Daniel Frank, Tingley

Daniel set up WF3 Kindness, a community support group for the Tingley, Ardsley and Thorpe areas while he was laid in his hospital bed after having a spinal operation.

He leads.an army of volunteers who provide vital support to the most vulnerable.

They provide food hampers to people struggling to feed families; distribute ‘Kindness Packages’ to people in need of a pick me up; offer practical help with tasks around the home; collect prescriptions for those unable or too anxious to go out; provide mental health support through a registered, qualified and insured counsellor and give gifts to some of the most deprived children in the area.

Daniel, who lives with wife Sarah and son Oliver, four, also juggles a full-time day job, working in IT for law firm DLA Piper where is also charity partner account manager.

Mollie-Anne Horner, Pontefract

Described by her own mum as an “inspiration all round”. The 8-year-old girl has been making face masks to raise money for the charity treating her grandfather’s cancer.

The idea came about when Mollie-Anne and her family found out that he was fighting cancer again after two previously failed remissions.

Macmillan and Cancer Research are two of the charities helping through his treatment, so Mollie-Anne decided she wanted to raise money for them.

Working with her grandmother, who lives in Featherstone, Mollie-Anne learned how to use a sewing machine to make the masks, which she then sold in exchange for a donation to her charities.

Each mask was packaged in a cellophane bag with a special tag that she has also made herself. She raised £100 in the first week alone.

Cannon Hall Farm

The family-run farm was nominated seven times for bringing happiness to Barnsley and the whole of the country during the national lockdowns by sharing stories of daily life for the team and animals who call it home.

Farmer Robert Nicholson broadcast live on Facebook throughout the whole of the first lockdown, giving viewers a virtual trip onto the farm on 132 consecutive days.

He did the same during the second lockdown too, attracting a regular audience of many thousands of people, helping them to explore the world beyond their homes, and lifting their spirits.

One grateful viewer who submitted a nomination wrote: “This is many people’s happy place and while we cannot visit in person, we feel like we do daily through the live video broadcasts.”

Shelagh Cheetham

When Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for volunteers to support the NHS, Shelagh decided to produce face masks for the local community, using her sewing machine at Dronfield home.

She appealed for other volunteers to help her in this task and since they started out, Shelagh and her team of 207 sewing whizzes have made and delivered a staggering 62,239 face masks to 1,004 organisations – from care homes to schools and churches.

And since the start of September, they have delivered more than 13,000 masks for local secondary schools, supporting disadvantaged children, those on Pupil Premium and free school meals.

Shelagh’s Sewing Circle is now evolving to become a charity so its work can go on.

Chloe Hadley

Chloe, eight, is a motivated young lady who has gone to great lengths to support the Children’s Air Ambulance.

She took part in the 2.6 Challenge during lockdown, taking on 26 different challenges in one day, as well as organising fundraising events including everything from raffles to making and selling activity packs.

A member of #TheCrew children’s club run by the charity, she hosts stands in local businesses to raise awareness of why the Children’s Air Ambulance is so important to families in Doncaster and beyond.

She has collected more than £4,000 for the charity through her efforts, including a grant from Direct Line.

Chloe was nominated by her mum Emily, who described her as a “truly wonderful” young lady.

Team of Volunteer Drivers nominated by Nidderdale Plus

This team of nine volunteer drivers from the Nidderdale Plus Community Hub run a transport service using a community car.

During the crisis, they borrowed a minibus from local charity Dementia Forward and gave their time for free to transport residents to hospital and GP appointments.

They have also delivered prescriptions to people self-isolating, transported essential health equipment to care homes and GP practices in Harrogate, and made sure food parcels, shopping, library books and jigsaws, and other supplies reached vulnerable people in their homes.

They have consistently put others’ needs above their own as they have stepped up to serve the Nidderdale and Washburn communities and the wider district.

Pitsmoore Adventure Playground

Pitsmoor Adventure Playground has always been at the heart of the Burngreave community, offering an open door to all who want to visit.

Throughout the pandemic, the venue as acted as a Covid-19 community hub and its staff team have been out supporting others in this deprived area of Sheffield.

They have helped to fundraise for Burngreave Foodbank, delivered hundreds of food parcels, shopped for scores of local residents, bought emergency supplies for families in need, and offered help and advice around how to stay safe as well as how to access food, benefits and grants.

Staff members have kept in touch with playground users through wellbeing phone calls and by making and distributing 350 playpacks to local families.

Hannah Beck

A breakfast club in Harrogate has been feeding the homeless and hungry for the last 20 years and Hannah Beck has been at its helm.

When the first lockdown began, this “dedicated, determined and very loyal” woman kept this vital support going and didn’t give up.

Instead, she increased the support given to her usual visitors to the club at St Peter’s Church and gave help to plenty more who found they couldn’t afford food due to the effects of the pandemic.

Along with the team of volunteers that she leads, she provided takeaway breakfasts and evening dinner six days a week, plus a meal at lunchtime on a Sunday.

More than 2,500 meals were handed out in the first couple of months alone and people were given that food without any judgement.

Baby Basics

Baby Basics Sheffield works through professional referral, to support vulnerable families with the practical equipment they need for life with babies and children aged up to five.

This year has been an incredibly tough year for so many of those it supports and it has seen a seen a massive 442 per cent increase in demand for its service.

Despite this, Baby Basics has completed every referral fully – and that is down to its wonderful staff, volunteers and supports across the city.

Volunteers who were shielding continued to help from home by sewing, knitting, baking cakes, washing and ironing.

Meanwhile, those on the ground packed thousands of bundles of clothing, toiletries and other essential supplies as the Duchess of Cambridge saw when she visited.

Tickhill Community Connections

Tickhill Community Connections was set up in response to the pandemic to ensure those that are vulnerable in the town have access to vital support.

The organisation quickly came together in March as they realised that there was little support locally if lockdown was to occur.

This group of seven individuals did not know each other back then but shared the desire to help others, juggling jobs alongside creating what is now a registered charity.

Described as “invisible angels”, they have provided a lifeline to many, with a phoneline being manned since March.

They have delivered prescriptions, picked up shopping, provided food and financial support, and made comfort calls to those that are lonely.