A COMMUNITY bus service describedby passengers as a “godsend” won theoverall prize at this year’s CommunityAction Awards.

The FYTbus won the Local Communities cate-gory before claiming the top award at last Friday’s

ceremony, held at the RiversideCentre.

The essential service was con-ceived by local residents, MichaelCraig and Adrian Harris, whospent two years planning thelogistics, raising funds and learn-ing all they could about running abus service.

IW vice-Lord Lieutenant SirGuy Acland presented the shieldand cheque for £1,500 to MrCraig, Mr Harris, John Danielsand Christine Seamen.

She said: “I think it’s amazing.There are so many worthy groupsand organisations here tonight

and I cannot understand why we have been cho-sen above everyone else.”

Runners-up were Age UK IW, while a specialindividual award recognised the enthusiasm andcommitment of Chris Goodman, who heads a

team of around 150 volunteers in staging theannual Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival.

From small beginnings in Brighstone ParishChurch, it now displays 162 decorated trees in sixlocations, attracting more than 7,500 visitors.

Mr Goodman said: “I get the privilege of work-ing with a superb group of people, the pleasure ofseeing the smiles on visitors’ faces and the satis-faction of seeing the money we raise going to

where it’s needed in the parish.” The annual awards, sponsored by the IW

County Press, recognise the efforts of volunteersacross the Island and were organised byCommunity Action IW, a charity established tosupport Island groups.

The judges, deputy lieutenant for the IW,Patricia Partridge, editor of the IW County Press,Alan Marriott, and chief executive of Community

Action IW, Mike Bulpitt, spent two days visiting25 organisations shortlisted from more than 50applications.

Mr Bulpitt said: “The variety of applicationswas incredibly diverse and the impact on localpeople and communities was clearly huge.

“All the groups short-listed tonight are clearlywinners and doing a huge amount to benefit theIsland.”

Sponsored by IW ClinicalCommissioning GroupShortlisted: Earl Mountbatten HospiceJohn Cheverton Centre information andsupport, Care in the Garden, IWAsthma Society and Swim Group.Winner: Care in the Garden.

CARE in the Garden, a communityinterest company, has been tradingfor more than three years, havingbeen founded by JohnGoodenough, a trained social

worker, and his partner, Gill Smith,a horticulturalist.

The project is not just about growingplants — it also helps people to grow,including those who have suffered fromisolation and exclusion.

It supports people with disabilities andlong-term health conditions by providingassisted work places and opportunities fortraining.

The Palmers Brook community plantnursery at Wootton, the home of Care inthe Garden, is a hive of activity. There arepeople digging beds, potting up seedlings,

making bird boxes and really enjoyingwhat they do.

They will supply bedding plants for bas-kets and pots at IW Spar stores and willalso be responsible for the planters out-side the shops.

John had always wanted to do some-thing that would not only be his own busi-ness but also be a platform to offer moreto people with disabilities than the nor-mal care system could provide. He said:“Sometimes, I feel the care world is mov-ing backwards and I want to do somethingto make it move forward again.”

Sponsored by Norris and Fisher insurance brokersShortlisted: Aspire Ryde, Shanklin CommunityLibrary, Isobel Centre Pan Together.Winner: Aspire Ryde.

ISYOU Initiatives community interestcompany identified the need for a com-munity hub two years ago.

Following talks with the Anglican Dioceseof Portsmouth, it set about reviving the formerHoly Trinity Church, in Dover Street, for thebenefit of the community and the Aspire Rydeproject was born.

The building had been unloved after dwin-dling congregations struggled to maintain the

huge structure, which was identified as “atrisk” by English Heritage. One proposal hadbeen demolition as the land value was worthmore than the building.

The group, however, was determined to ren-ovate the historic church and 50 volunteers,tradesmen and artisans started a programmeof restoration and modernisation.

After just one year, a wealth of services areon offer, provided by a huge range of public,private and voluntary groups.

Project leader, Heath Monaghan, said:“This is recognition of the hard work of all ourvolunteers in transforming a derelict buildinginto a fantastic community hub.

“We are only in our first year but already wehave 500 people a week using the building.”

Sponsored by Glanvilles Legal Services Shortlisted: IW Tae Kwon Do Club,Shanklin Rifle and Pistol Club, Shanklin-Sandown Rowing Club.Joint winners: Shanklin Rifle and PistolClub and Shanklin-Sandown RowingClub.

Shanklin Rifle and Pistol ClubTHE club, founded in 1903,offers people of all ages theopportunity to target shoot safe-ly and responsibly.

It has more than 100 members andhas an indoor and outdoor range.

It also hosts groups from schoolsand recently 200 scouts from all overthe country visited to try target shoot-ing, supervised by volunteer mem-bers.

The club has a good record in com-petitions and has nurtured nationally

successful members, whose successesinclude Commonwealth Gamesmedals and many national titles.

The indoor range is used everyevening and the club is struggling tocope with the rise in applications formembership, putting pressure onspace and range time.

Architects are now drawing plansto expand its indoor range.

The new build will also be accessi-ble to wheelchair users and the clubalso has plans to buy equipment toenable shooting for the blind.Shanklin Sandown Rowing ClubDATING back to 1875, the clubhas a team of volunteers whohave worked improve andupgrade the club.

A revamped boathouse opened lastApril, with support from Sport

England and volunteers played alarge part in building and decorating.

Volunteer coaches devote at leastten hours each week training thecrews and a senior members work 20hours each week to maintain the facil-ity and the equipment.

The club has a very successful jun-ior squad competing in and often win-ning regattas along the south coast aswell as links to Sandown BayAcademy and the Island Free School,Ventnor. The age range of member-ship is wide, with some in their 70s.

President Ian Thomas said: “This isrecognition of the hard work our vol-unteers put in. Some have beeninvolved in the club for 50 years andthey are supporting the younger row-ers.”

He said the money would gotowards a new minibus.

By Martin Neville

martinn@iwcpmail.co.uk

From left,HeathMonaghan,JulieMonaghan,NickMulhern,Tina Fraiserand MartynIngram, ofsponsorsNorris andFisher. 0515-R55067

From left, Steve Double and Barbara Blackblockwith Dr John Rivers, of IW NHS CCG. 0515-R55051

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From left, Ian Thomas, of Shanklin and Sandown Rowing Club,and Imogen Moss, of Shanklin Rifle and Pistol Club, withRajinder Sangha, of sponsors Glanvilles. 0515-R55073

Village halls and community buildings

Sport

Healthy lives

Recognition for volunteersLeft, from left,Adrian Harris,Michael Craig,John Danielsand ChristineSeamen, ofthe FYT Bus,with vice-LordLieutenant SirGuy Acland. 0515-R55048

Right, Judges’Special Awardwinner, ChrisGoodman,with deputylieutenantPatriciaPartridge.0515-R55050

Overallwinner

County Press May 8, 2015community action40

Sponsored by IW Community FundShortlisted: IW Scouts Adult Training Team, Brading TownColts Football Club, Ability Dogs 4 Young People.Winner: IW Scouts Adult Training Team.

THE scouts have many hundreds of volunteerson the Island and more than 1,200 young peopleparticipating — but none of this could happenwithout all the scout leaders and other volun-teers being trained.

The training is delivered by a small team of volun-teers, led by county training manager, David Turner.

They all put in hundreds of hours of unpaid work and

in 2015 alone. County commissioner Paul Savill said: “Iam not aware of another county which can boast aboutits training team. Elsewhere, there are always problemsto overcome or difficulty in retaining volunteers.

“The IW Adult Training Team has developed newways of reaching across the county using Skype, takingtraining sessions to new venues or holding training clin-ics at events so adult leaders can pop in and get workthey have done verified.”

IW Scouting will soon have more than 1,500 youngpeople involved through a project called Access AllAreas and the training team will be expected to teacharound 100 new adults on top of their busy schedule.

Sponsored by the IW CouncilShort-listed: IW Foodbank, FYTbus,Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival,Freshwater Independent Lifeboat.Winner: FYTbus.

SINCE 2011, the FYTbus has beenproviding a vital transport lifeline tothe residents of the West Wight.

A team of 35 volunteers are enablingaround 18,000 passenger journeys per year tobe delivered on two routes in and aroundFreshwater, Totland and Yarmouth.

The FYTbus was conceived by local resi-dents Michael Craig and Adrian Harris, whoplanned the logistics, raised funds and

learned all they could about running a busservice.

They worked hard to gather a group of vol-unteers, drivers, passenger assistants, garagestaff and office staff.

FYTbus offers two bus routes and thenumber of passengers has steadily grown overthe last three years to between 1,500 and2,000 a month.

The service helps local residents to visitshops and attend medical appointments andthe hail-and-ride service means passengerscan be collected from home and dropped offclose to their destination.

There are also excursions, the most popu-lar of which are shopping trips to Newport.

Sponsored by Island Healthcare LtdShortlisted: Age UK IW, IW Shopmobility,Carisbrooke Castle Museum.Winner: Age UK IW.

THE Good Neighbour scheme oper-ated by Age UK continues to go fromstrength to strength.

There are now 26 schemes around theIsland, with 560 volunteers providing40,000 hours of support.

The scheme involves neighbours helpinglocal older neighbours, who have no-oneelse to turn to for help and support.

It might include shopping, small tasksaround the home, prescription collection,dog-walking, letter-writing, putting the binsout or just having a cup of tea and watching

TV with someone for half-an-hour.Volunteers highlighted gaps in local serv-

ices, leading to the formation of communi-ty clubs in Seaview, Godshill andBrighstone.

Residents who attended the communitycoffee morning at Brighstone reported theyhad all experienced severe feelings of lone-liness and isolation and had worried con-tinuously about such things as shopping orobtaining prescriptions.

However, since attending, more thanhalf said their confidence had grown, 80per cent had made new friends and morethan 70 per cent now had someone to turnto in times of need.

Sponsored by Community Action IWShort-listed: Northwood House CharitableTrust, Ventnor Isle of Arts Festival, ShanklinRoyal British LegionWinner: Northwood House Charitable Trust.

NORTHWOOD House and parkwere gifted to Cowes Urban DistrictCouncil in 1929 to provide counciloffices and rooms for meetings andentertainment.

Today, the Northwood HouseCharitable Trust Co Ltd is responsible forthe Grade-II* listed Georgian house,

community hall and park, which are rent-ed out for functions and events.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of thecharity and range from young peopleworking towards their Duke ofEdinburgh Award to an 80 year old.

They tend the gardens and act as tourguides for the house, run open days, carboot sales, a Christmas fair and run theStable Cafe in the community hall.

Last year, the park was also the settingfor Action Challenge and the IslandHighland Gathering and since 2012, thehouse has been the main centre for theIW Literary Festival.

Sponsored by Area of Outstanding NaturalBeauty (AONB)Shortlisted: Friends of the Animals,National Trust, Ventnor Enhancement Fund.Winner: National Trust.

THE National Trust aims is to look afterspecial places, for everyone, for ever.

On the Island more than 160 regular volun-teers ensure the land and buildings owned bythe trust are well maintained.

Last year saw a pair of colourful and rarebee eaters nesting on the Island, which was ahuge attraction to twitchers nationwide — and60 volunteers contributed more than 1,100

hours monitoring and supervising the site. One of the charity’s quirkiest and most

original events is the annual goat round-up onthe top of Ventnor Downs.

Held in early October, around 45 volun-teers from across the Island last year helpedherd the trust’s 35 goats along the length ofBonchurch Down and Littleton Down andinto the collecting pen.

The event takes about five hours over 2kmon steep slopes, with uneven ground andpatches of bramble, bracken and gorse.

NT ranger Ian Ridett said: “Without ourvolunteers across the UK, we couldn’t oper-ate. They are an integral part of what we doand we value every second they give us.”

From left,Paul Savill,JohnGulliver,David Turnerand KellyReay, with IanJenkins fromsponsors IWCommunityFund. 0515-R55058

Ian Ridettand TedSandlewithFionaEllis, ofsponsorsAONB.0515-R55064

MarkO’Sullivan,left, and FionaLangborne, ofAGE UK IW,with MaggieBennet, ofsponsorsIslandHealthcareLtd. 0515-R55061

From left,AdrianHarris,MichaelCraig, JohnDaniels andChristineSeamen,with the IWCouncilchairman,Cllr IanWard. 0515-R55054

From left, BenHicks,RoseleenCullen, JohnPollard andJanet Allanwith sponsor,deputylieutenantPatriciaPartridge.0515-R55070

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County PressMay 8, 2015 community action 41