Mayor of Chelmsford celebrates selfless local volunteers

Chelmsford Awards for Voluntary Service returned for the eleventh year this week. Organised by Chelmsford CVS in collaboration with The Mayor of Chelmsford, the awards saw dedicated volunteers across Chelmsford receive a special thanks for their work to support local charities.

The awards were first held in 2014 and have since become an annual event to recognise outstanding contributions in volunteering by local people through a presentation ceremony and celebratory tea.

The Mayor of Chelmsford, Councillor Janette Potter, said of this year’s nominees:

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“It is a great pleasure to have this opportunity to personally thank those outstanding individuals in our community who give their time so selflessly and tirelessly to deserving causes.

“As a panel, we had a very difficult time this year choosing the winners of the 2025 awards, as there were so very many great nominations. It was an absolute pleasure for us to read every one and hear about the incredible dedication and diversity of support that volunteers offer to charities in Chelmsford.

“Congratulations to all those who were presented with a CVS award this year and an enormous well done to all those who were nominated – your actions do not go unnoticed.”

The Mayor of Chelmsford, Cllr Janette Potter

Lorraine Jarvis, Chief Officer of Chelmsford CVS, said:

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“Every day, we meet volunteers from all walks of life, yet are still humbled by the scale and scope of time and talents that people give to so many different causes, despite challenging times. It’s both an honour and a great source of pride that Chelmsford CVS is able to recognise some of the incredible volunteering that takes place in our community. Thank you to every one.”

Lorraine Jarvis, Chief Officer, Chelmsford CVS

This year, three awards were presented:

Winner, Team category: The Ideas Hub Integration Team at the Art Place

This year’s winning team gave an impressive combined 2,500 hours of volunteering in 2024 to supporting refugees and asylum seekers. The Ideas Hub Integration Team at The Art Place in the city centre gave 1-2-1 assistance to vulnerable individuals and families across Chelmsford. Their support ranged from translation services and help with organising doctors’ appointments, to providing and repairing bikes for easier transport opportunities.

The awards panel recognised how this team’s work crucially fills a gap in community support.

Winner, Young Person category: Cameron Breward

Cameron Breward was chosen as this year’s winner in the Young Person category. Cameron has been volunteering as a Young Leader with 2nd Chelmsford Scouts for three years, contributing an impressive ten hours every week to organising and taking part in activities on evenings and weekends. He is well-respected by the cubs he works with, contributing knowledge, fun and enthusiasm, and often supports new Young Leaders as they embark on training.

The panel were impressed with the level of dedication from Cameron at such a young age and with the clear impact his volunteering has on young scouts.

Long Service Commendations

Before moving onto the winner of the Adult category, four further certificates were presented at this year’s Chelmsford Awards for Voluntary Service. These were given in recognition of long service in volunteering to:

·       Jane Shelley, volunteer with CHESS Homeless charity. Jane has volunteered for over 30 years, first starting at a soup kitchen in the early 1990s and church halls during the winter months to provide those rough sleeping with food and shelter.

·       Gloria Nicols, volunteer with Chelmsford Town Twinning. As well as volunteering for Chelmsford’s Town Twinning Association, Gloria has supported different charitable causes over 41 years, including Mary’s Meals and Broomfield Hospital, where she recently raised £15,000 for a new dialysis machine.

·       Judith Pickess, volunteer with Great Baddow Parish Hall Brownies. Judith has been volunteering for an astonishing 51 years with two different Brownie packs in Chelmsford. Every week she supports their activities, helping generation after generation of young people to develop new skills.

·       Roger Cole, volunteer in scouting, especially 1st Broomfield Scouts. Roger has been volunteering since 1973; a staggering 52 years! He and his wife, Sue, set up the 1st Broomfield Book sale that has been raising funds for over 40 years. A Wood Badge award holder, he has helped thousands of people over the years, including international scout groups.

Volunteers Jane Shelley, Judith Pickess and Gloria Nicols with the Mayor and Mayoress.

All four recipients were praised for their consistent dedication to supporting others over many decades.

Highly Commended, Adult category: Nigel Hardy

With a great many worthy nominations received in this year’s Chelmsford Awards for Voluntary Service, the panel decided to award Nigel Hardy with a Highly Commended certificate in the Adult category. Nigel is a volunteer and trustee with Sanctus homeless charity. His humility and empathy for service users, combined with his forward-thinking vision for Sanctus’ Chelmsford shop, was praised for its impact – helping the store to make a profit within just a few months.

Winner, Adult category: Mary Stopher

The final award of this year’s ceremony was presented to Mary Stopher, a founder, trustee and volunteer with kidney cancer charity, Flutter. Mary was praised by her nominator for her tireless, almost full-time support of kidney cancer patients, which has had a significant impact on the lives of those facing the disease. After being diagnosed with kidney cancer herself and recognising a gap in understanding and support, Mary set about providing comfort and information to other patients. She then developed this into a charity to maximise opportunities for and awareness of the cause.

The awards panel were particularly impressed with Mary’s efforts to turn what would have been an extremely challenging time for her into an opportunity to help others.

Following the awards ceremony, recipients and their families celebrated with the Mayor and Chelmsford CVS staff with an afternoon tea in the Mayor’s Parlour.

Local charity Chelmsford CVS offers help and guidance to voluntary organisations, community groups and charities across Chelmsford, and a brokerage to match people with local voluntary opportunities. Services include specialist information, resources, online directory Chelmsford Connects, and a variety of voluntary projects. Find out more about their work at www.chelmsfordcvs.org.uk.