Haverfordwest Town Council have considered all the nominations for the  Young Laurels Award and the Award of Merit, and are pleased to announce the winners.

2021 Award of Merit goes to Amanda Absalom-Lowe.

Amanda is the chairperson and founder of Pembrokeshire Care Share & Give Recycle4charity.  She has run this charity from her home in Haverfordwest for over ten years, raising money for local community groups, other charities and the people of Pembrokeshire, through the promotion of recycling the majority of items that would normally find their way into landfill.  Amanda has won many accolades over the years and Council were delighted to receive a nomination to recognise her outstanding contribution to the town.  

2021 Young Laurel Award.  This year the award has been jointly bestowed upon Jack Gray and the founders of Gifts Under The Tree with HHVCS.

Jack Gray is a local schoolboy who attends Portfield School.  He set himself a challenge of walking every day for 35 days, and in doing so he raised a staggering £2,000 for his school.  Jack, who has complex learning difficulties, walked every day up until March 31, initially for half an hour and building up to over an hour by the end of the challenge.  Jack absolutely loved the challenge and has certainly caught the walking bug, as he is still insisting on going out every day!  

Two sixth form students at Haverfordwest High VC School came up with the idea to provide Christmas presents to young children under the care of the Social Services Team.  Karis McCanch Jones (left) and Bethan Lilley (right) set up a charity called Gifts Under The Tree with HHVCS in 2019, when over 100 presents were collected and delivered to children in need across Haverfordwest.  Their  dedication and commitment to the charity continued in 2020 when they embarked on an extensive marketing campaign reaching local radio, newspapers and national television and collected over 500 presents, meaning that every child on the Social Services register received a gift.  Karis and Bethan put smiles on hundreds of children’s faces and left a legacy at Haverfordwest High VC School that will last a lifetime.

2021 Mayor’s Award.

The Mayor’s Awards are presented to those people and organisations who have been nominated for their commitment and service to the town of Haverfordwest.  This year the awards will be presented to Jonathan Collier, St John Ambulance Cymru (Haverfordwest Division) and Haverfordwest County AFC Supporters Association.

Jonathan’s vision, hard graft and determination resulted in getting environmental work and improvements underway with volunteers for the Priory Saltings, a public access space and nature reserve on the site of the former town dump to the south of the Priory ruins in Haverfordwest.  A former town councillor, Jon has been involved in the town regeneration and the search for a community hub in the town centre, giving practical help with site investigations.

The volunteers of St John Ambulance Cymru (Haverfordwest division) support local events with first aid and medical cover, assisting the Welsh Ambulance Service with Community First Responders and providing programmes and opportunities for local young people. They have remained as committed as ever to delivering their core aims and objectives during a very challenging year, making sure local volunteers have kept their skills and knowledge up to date through virtual training.  Recently, the volunteers came to the aid of a member of the public giving CPR until further assistance arrived.  They continued to support the ambulance crew until the patient was conveyed to hospital, and ultimately, they helped to save a life.

The Haverfordwest County AFC Supporters Association was first established in 2008, growing to over 20 members who volunteer and regularly help out in the week, match days, or with any other support the club needs.  Alan Thomas, Kevin Haldne, Barrie Webb, Micky Ellis, and Eddie Bunson, to name but a few, give so much of their time completing regular ground and pitch maintenance of the main and training pitches, clubhouse and changing rooms cleaning , running the bar, café and club shop, and helping the 160-strong children’s academy,  as well as supporting community programmes and fundraising for community activities.  Without such volunteers, the club would not  function as well as it has over the last 13 years.  .