Please see below the winners for 2014 and information about why they were nominated.
Gladys Wheldon - January winner
Gladys Wheldon has lived in Stoke Aldermoor for 46 years. She is well-known, well liked and an approachable member of this community with an easy going and warm personality. Her commitment to voluntary work has been truly tireless and outstanding in numerous ways, not least in the variety of projects she has been involved in, the number of people she has helped and amount of time â more than forty years - over which she has demonstrated this tireless commitment.
Gladys initially began improving things for the local community with sessions she ran at the Community Centre for elderly local residents. It ensured they engaged with their peers, the local community and helped counter any sense of loneliness or isolation. She has also helped to raise money for day trips for less fortunate families to ensure people had something to look forward to.
Her annual Christmas parties are legendary with over 50 children enjoying food, entertainment and meeting Father Christmas as a result of her year-long fundraising efforts. Testament to her ability to include all ensures that older brothers and sisters receive gifts and that parents are catered for.
Gladys embraces all sections of the community which is evident through the work she does at the Community and Life Centre where she engages with the local Youth Leader, organises the over 60âs club and supports other cultures by teaching local Somalian ladies to knit and sew. She not only gave these ladies a useful skill, but integrated them into the local community and increased their confidence.
Gladys is no fair weather volunteer she will be out in all weathers at any time of year at a car boot sale to raise much needed funds. Gladys deserves this award for embodying the definition of public spirit and community service, and to ensure she has a token of the love and gratitude many have for her for all she has done for her city.
Gladys will always help anyone in need, the list of her achievements is endless and she is truly deserving of this Good Citizen Award.
Pete Chambers - February winner
For a number of years Pete Chambers has done much valuable work to celebrate and promote cultural achievement in Coventry. He has written six books on the local music scene, plus numerous articles in his Coventry Telegraph column.
The renowned Coventry ‘2-Tone’ has always received ‘special’ attention from him. He initiated and delivered the 2-Tone Trail series of plaques to honour the achievements of the 2-Tone record label and the associated artists at key local historical sites.
He also initiated the Coventry Walk of Fame to pay tribute to some of Coventry's well-known citizens who have made a positive and lasting contribution to the City. Pete has the ideas and in the end he delivers. His projects have successfully raised the profile of Coventry artists and their achievements and also provided a lasting memorial to them.
Pete has always given support and encouragement to up and coming local talent. Indeed, many young Coventry bands have benefitted from his positive backing.
His most recent success and without doubt his biggest pride is the Coventry Music Museum. This has been a long term dream and an achievement that is being given national recognition and acclaim. This unique project will be a lasting celebration of Coventry’s music heritage.
Pete has not done all this in pursuit of his day-to-day business activity, financial gain or an employment commitment. His efforts have been driven by a genuine passion and pride in Coventry and its citizens. Recognition of Pete Chambers’ efforts is long overdue and today we gather to salute his hard work and his dedication to Coventry.
Sue and John Farrell - March winners
Sue and John Farrell are a couple who have spent nearly half their lives as foster carers, having welcomed nearly 100 youngsters in to their home since deciding to take to fostering 30 years ago.
Through their selflessness and dedication they have supported many young people through a variety of situations and had a positive effect on many lives. Sue maintains that fostering is in her blood, following in the footsteps of both her own mother and grandmother, who also spent many years looking after a variety of children.
Some of the children they have cared for still have regular contact with them and refer to them as âmum and dadâ. One young boy came to them at the age of 6 a for a short stay and over 20 years later he still lives with and is cared for by them.
Sue and John have a thirst for learning anything which will help them with their role and maintain that there is always something new to learn about fostering.
Their nomination for this recognition is a true testament to the positive effect they have had on many young lives and are fitting recipients of the Good Citizen Award.
David Shortland - June winner
David Shortland has made his mark on the city and its landscape having dedicated countless hours of his time to the regeneration and development of Coventry.
A Chartered Surveyor with nearly 40 years development experience, he has carved out a name for himself as a high profile business leader in the city.
The Good Citizen Award recognises a great range of attributes and characteristics and of note is Davidâs drive and desire to make a difference to the landscape of this city.
As an advisor on many leading development schemes including Belgrade Plaza, Priory Place and Electric Wharf, and many other locations across Warwickshire David has a fantastic CV to reflect on.
He founded Shortland Horne in 1995 and is now Chair of Shortland Horne, Shortland, Pennand Moore, and Bluemark Projects Limited.
David recently retired from being Chairman of the Belgrade Theatre and having been a Director since 2002 is now Honorary Ambassador to the Belgrade Theatre and remains as Director of Belgrade Production Services.
His many roles on boards for Coventry University Business School, the Place Board for Coventry and Warwickshire Champions and Chairman of the Associate Directors Group at Coventry City Football Club set him apart.
David is a man with boundless energy and commitment to the city and is a fitting recipient of the Coventry Good Citizen Award.
Gavin Kibble - July winner
Gavin Kibble has worked tirelessly for the city and its people in order to ensure that those most in need are able to access sufficient good, nutritional and balanced food at times of crisis. He has led Coventry food bank since its inception in 2011 and worked across the voluntary, faith and commercial sectors, ensuring that access is effective and that people can maintain their dignity when accessing support.
Gavin has ensured that the food bank has sufficient resources to meet the increasing need by working with funders and food suppliers to support the growing needs of the city. He also ensures that all food bank users are able to access other services and support.
Gavin has worked diligently to ensure that all partners and colleagues across the city are actively involved at all times. Between April 2013 and March 2014 just over 18,000 people were fed by Coventry food bank, almost all of which is delivered by volunteers.
Gavin works in many other guises in the city, supporting and leading groups, movements and likeminded people in caring for and supporting those most in need across our city, never tiring, always searching for new and better ways to help others, and for this reason, Gavin is a fitting recipient of the Coventry Good Citizen Award.
Martin Prue - September winner
Martin Prue has managed the charity, CITEE Ltd (the Churches Initiative in Training, Employment and Enterprise), for nearly 25 years, running programmes to support people experiencing unemployment, long term or short term mental health issues and other forms of disadvantage. He has consistently shown exceptional care for each person who comes to CITEE for help. He has a way of making all course members feel valued and an ability to offer hope for a better future.
In December 1989, Martin was employed to take on the challenge of launching the charity with just a feasibility study and a yearâs funding. He found an office and training base in Foleshill and within a month had recruited 10 long-term unemployed people for the first programme. He has continued to work with Coventry people from all walks of life, all ages and backgrounds, working with GPs, Probation, Mental Health Services, Job Centres and a range of voluntary sector organisations to meet the needs of Coventry people, providing hope and changing lives. He has successfully bid for virtually every funding pot available to the Voluntary Sector in order to keep CITEE going, while keeping the charity true to its original aims; he has battled against funding cuts and borne the brunt of constant uncertainty for the future.
Martin has helped people to turn their lives around, supported them back to work after a period of mental ill health and discover new direction for their future. He is well regarded by professional agencies in the city as a man who works with integrity, compassion and keeps the best interests of CITEEâs participants at the heart of the work. His tenacity has shone through when times have been financially very tough and when new funding criteria have created huge challenges. Martin loves the work he does at CITEE, and never tires of being able to give people an opportunity to move forward, regardless of the hurdles they face.
Martin is undoubtedly a most worthy recipient of the Coventry Good Citizen Award
John 'Nobby' Clarke - October winner
John âNobbyâ Clarke has been instrumental in the setting up and operation of the Coventry winter night shelter, which has been organised under the âHope Coventryâ churches banner. He has worked extremely hard from taking on the Project Co-ordinator role on 13th December 2013 to the first night of opening the shelter on 18th January 2014, and of course over the weeks that followed. The night shelter could not have been set up without the phenomenal efforts and enthusiasm of Nobby in co-ordinating and organising the project and getting everything off the ground; the night shelter ran until the 31st March 2014.
Nobby has worked with the venues and volunteers to provide an atmosphere of safety, welcome and hospitality ensuring that people connected with people; gradually building confidence and developing trusting relationships. Nobby has ensured that lives of vulnerable people have been positively affected through the simple act of generous hospitality shown to them along with genuine love and care.
As part of this project Nobby has co-ordinated 7 different churches and over 450 volunteers in order to provide a shelter for up to 20 rough sleepers, with a different church providing shelter on each day of the week. A hot evening meal was provided at each venue by a variety of volunteers, including Sikh and Muslim groups. Ninety individual guests have been registered over the period that the night shelter ran, with up to 22 staying on any one night. Over 1000 bed nights were provided and 25 people have been supported to access more permanent accommodation.
Nobby is truly an inspiration to us all and richly deserves the Coventry Good Citizen award.
Bal Claire - November winner
Balâs father settled in the UK in 1951, and, uncertain whether to stay in this country he wanted to ensure that his family in India were supported. Together with others who had settled in Coventry from the same village they started to pool any spare money to put towards projects in India.
Bal has inherited this altruistic trait and on a much greater scale. With others spread across the world he has been instrumental in setting up charitable events which benefit the village and help connect the wider community. Through his efforts funds have been raised to build a school, Gurdwara and they are now hoping to provide the village with a sewerage system.
In the UK, Bal has helped raise money for a variety of charities through several events. These involved sky diving, abseiling, walking up the 900 steps to the top of the BT tower and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, this event raising £16,000 for Cancer Research UK. A further £89,000 was raised for Childline when a group of employees from his workplace, BT, were set a challenge of a talent development scheme. This entailed finding as many ideas as possible in 24 hours to raise as much money as possible for charity.
Bal has invested an enormous amount of time raising large amounts of money for a variety of charities and is truly a deserving award winner.
Mirabelle 'Queenie' Smith - December winner
Mirabelle âQueenieâ Smith has been co-ordinator of the Neighbourhood Watch in North West Coventry for 31 years. She is hardworking and dedicated to the people of her community; she has been a representative on the Action Against Crime initiative; founder member and sometime Chair of Coventry Association of Watch Schemes, serving also at county and West Midlands levels.
Queenie was the founder of Brownshill Green Allotment Association and is a major âhands onâ contributor in keeping the allotments alive. Together with these activities, Queenie has found time to serve as a member of the Council backed Safer Neighbourhood Group meetings and was co-founder of the Coventry Clothes Bank.
Queenie is a well-known and respected member of the community she has made an outstanding contribution towards crime prevention, charity work and caring for the community. She is a vital driving force at ground level always practical and showing selfless determination
It is right and fitting that she should be presented with the Coventry Good Citizen Award
