Girl Guide Leader and Church Youth Worker is latest Community Hero award winner

Girl Guide Leader and Church Youth Worker Cheryl Turner has been named as the latest winner of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Community Heroes award.

The 29-year-old, from Bowbridge Road, Newark, spends countless hours a week volunteering.  This involves being a Guide Leader at 2nd Balderton Guides, she is also a Sunday School Teacher at St Leonards Church on Lincoln Road, as well as Church Social Secretary and general church youth worker.  She also links her Guides group into volunteering for where she works at the Canal and River Trust.

Cheryl has been selected as the latest Chairman’s Community Hero by county council Chairman Councillor Mrs Sue Saddington. The awards celebrate and recognise the efforts of unsung community heroes who do outstanding work in their local area.

Councillor Saddington had to choose from around 20 nominees and was impressed by the efforts that Cheryl puts in to support young people in her community.

Cheryl said: “I am absolutely delighted to have won this award. I love what I do as it helps to make a difference to young people and I love watching them grow and develop as people through the years. It is wonderful to be recognised for the work that I do – I am so pleased.

“We always try to keep the Guide sessions interesting and varied and we are rewarded with large attendances. We look to update activities every year and always ask young people what they want to learn to keep it relevant.  Our Leader in charge Sue Wilkinson has been with our unit for 40 years and has been a big part of what inspires me to work with young people.”

Here’s a guide to Cheryl’s busy calendar:

·     Cheryl started as a Brownie at the age of eight with 3rd Newark Brownies, and went through to the 2nd Balderton Guides, and at the age of 18 became a Leader which she has been for 11 years, helping to organise and lead sessions with the other leaders and their Leader in charge Sue. As well as trips to the likes of Alton Towers and Walesby, activities include cooking, crafts and making useful things, key skills to help them with their future, team building activities and all other kinds of varied fun things. The group meets weekly on a Tuesday night at St Giles Church Hall, in Main Road, Balderton.

·     She also links with the Guides to help with volunteer work at her place of work at the Canal and River Trust, to help tidy, plant bulbs and paint and generally make the Riverside a better place. Newark Sensory Garden and Nether Lock in Newark are areas which have benefitted.

·     Cheryl is also a youth worker and social secretary at St Leonard's Church, on Lincoln Road, where she organises family fun days, fund raising events and other activities for children and families of all ages.  She started promoting the church activities on Facebook last year, where she created the Churches own social page.  This has taken off well and has helped bring whole new selection of people to the activities she plans.  It is also a great place to share exciting news and pictures of what is happening at the Church.  This can be found at St Leonards Church Social Page.  She does all this without any thought for herself, while also working full time.

Councillor Saddington said: “What I like about this volunteer is that Cheryl’s commitment helps young people to learn how to socialise  and  improve the environment.

“It also encourages young people to become involved with something other than IPads. I am delighted to be awarding Cheryl a Community Hero award in recognition of her hard work.”

Cheryl’s mum Jacqueline, from Beacon Heights, Newark, who nominated her daughter for the award, said: “When I heard Cheryl had won the award, I was so excited and had the biggest smile on my face, I felt so pleased for her.  I sat for a moment just to let the news sink in. On sharing the news with my husband we were both so excited and felt very proud of our daughter, she works hard in everything she does and we both feel that she is truly deserving of this special award.”

Radio Newark will be talking to Cheryl tomorrow evening (Tuesday 18th September) at 6.10pm.

Nottinghamshire County Council is still looking for community heroes. Some ideas for nominees are those who help vulnerable people with shopping, or providing a lift to a medical appointment, supporting young people in their community, or leading a local community project which has made a difference to people’s lives.

Every two months, the Chairman of the County Council will select one person who they believe deserves an extra special thank you and will meet and receive the Chairman’s Award.

The nominations criteria is as follows:

·     Nominees must live in the county

·     Must not be a member of a local council

·     Nominees must work or volunteer within the county

·     Nominations should not be party political

·     Nominees and those nominating would feature in awards’ publicity

The awards will be reviewed on a regular basis by the Chairman of the County Council and the Chairman’s award will be presented to a successful individual nominated for the award.

Picture: Jacqueline Turner, mum, Cheryl Turner, Community Hero award winner, Stephen Turner, dad.