SOME of the town’s most inspirational community stalwarts were immortalised on a plaque in the Central Library yesterday.

Thirteen individuals and five organisations which were recognised for their efforts to their community in the Pride Of Swindon Awards in March saw their names engraved on the plaque for residents to admire.

It is the sixth year that the Pride Of Swindon Awards have taken place to recognise the good work that people do in their communities.

The awards were hosted by Shirley Ludford, the manager at community radio station, Swindon 105.5, who joined a team of organisations and volunteers supported by Swindon Council to put the awards together.

She said: “These people just do so much for their communities and they so often go unrecognised for the work they do.

“There are all sorts of awards for people but there wasn’t really anything for the people who give so much to the community.

“You don’t really know what it’s like until it happens to you. When it happened to me I was just so touched.”

The awards were founded in 2008 following a conversation between Shirley, the former Mayor Steve Wakefield and Tony Martin from the Zurich Community Trust.

Shirley said: “Throughout our work we noticed that there were many people in the community doing some amazing voluntary work and thought they should be recognised in some way.

“Bringing the Pride Of Britain Awards back to the town, the Pride Of Swindon Awards try to go some way in thanking people for their time and commitment to their community.”

Six-year-old Morgan Sharpe, who has Goldenhar syndrome, was just one of those recognised at the awards.

His mother Kerry Holmes, said: “It’s amazing. He’s been looking forward to this day since he found out he won.

“I think he should have won it. He is the Pride of Swindon.”

Jum Bahadur ‘JB’ Gurung, of the Nepalese Association of Wiltshire , was also one of the stalwarts to receive the award.

He said: “I am really proud and would like to give the people of Swindon who nominated me a big thank you.

“I hope that my receiving this will encourage more people from the Nepalese community to work hard for their community and give something back.”

During the unveiling ceremony, Shirley asked everyone who had received the award to go back into the community and keep an eye out for any potential new nominees for next year’s Pride Of Swindon Awards, which they would help to organise in the autumn.

Pride Of Swindon award winners

Daniel Struve
Hazel Furze
David Bell
Janet Clarke
Morgan Sharpe
Jum Bahadur Gurung
Deb Hows
Lyn Parfrey
Sheila Harrod
Stephanie Hathaway
Tim French
Mike Fisher
Fred Ferris (posthumous)
Organisations who won a Pride of Swindon Award.
Open Door
SMASH
Swindon Citizen’s Advice Bureau
Olive Tree Cafe
Kids United