Outstanding Citizen Awards
Community heroes from across the West Midlands were honoured in
the Police and Crime Commissioner's Outstanding Citizens Awards on
July 5th 2018.
The awards are in their 6th year.
Nominations are taken from the community and provide an
opportunity to celebrate the untold stories of those who
volunteer, campaign or take part in acts of extraordinary
bravery.
There were three main awards up for grabs last night:
Outstanding Citizen, Outstanding Young Citizen and Outstanding
Community Project.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson
said: "These awards are an opportunity to acknowledge the bravery,
dedication and outstanding work of so many members of our
communities.
"This year it was particularity tough to choose and decide
on the winners due to the high calibre of nominees. They have all
done something amazing. It is wonderful for the West Midlands to
celebrate its achievements.
"It never fails to astound me the number of citizens who go
out of their way just to do the right thing by their
community."
The winners
Outstanding Citizen
Adam Shaikh, a man
who was sexually abused as a child and now works to prevent other
young people experiencing similar trauma.
Outstanding Community Project
Academy
de Skillz, a Birmingham project which gives
disadvantaged children a chance to become professional
footballers.
Outstanding Young Citizen
Coventry Voice of Care Council, a
group of young people in care, some aged as young as9,
who give up their free time to
advise the
authorities on how they can better look aftervulnerable young people.
Outstanding use of Active Citizens Fund
Canley Pop Up
Cafe, a Coventry project established in the wake of a spate of
crimes.
Special Recognition Award
Joan Campbell, a
woman born and bred in Handsworth, Birming ham
who
has dedicatedher working career to helping those most in need.
The runners up
Outstanding Citizen
Garry Williams, a
courageous bus driver who narrowly avoided
colliding with a suicidal man.
Margaret O'Reilly,
a woman who has spent a decade volunteering to help victims of
domestic violence.
Outstanding Community Project
iMatter
Walsall, a group which
has has educated thousands of school children about thedangers of sexual exploitation and other crimes.
Shirley Street
Watch,
a group of volunteer crime fighters in Shirley, which has confrontedd rug dealers,
recovered weapons from parks and patrolled the streets.
Outstanding Young Citizen
Ashlea Follows, a Dudley teenager who rescued a 3
year old boy from a group who were attacking his mother at a
shop.
Active Citizens Fund Award
Faithful Friends,
a group of Sikh, Christian and Muslim religious leaders from
Smethwick who work to bring divided communities
together.