Community Pride: Proud moments for city projects (From York Press)

Community Pride: Proud moments for city projects

9:01am Saturday 28th July 2012 in News By Kate Liptrot, kate.liptrot@thepress.co.uk

TWO projects which work to improve the lives of people in the city have been nominated for a Community Pride award.

The Island, a mentoring service for young people, and York Pride, which supports the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community have both been nominated in the category of Best Community Project.

The Island, a charitable organisation based in St Columba’s Foundation in Priory Street, recruits volunteers to mentor children and young people who are in some way vulnerable. Volunteers are supported with supervision are given expenses to pay for the activities they do.

The Island has been nominated by several people who believe it gives young people opportunities they may not otherwise have and helps with their self esteem.

Jenni Lucas said: “By linking them with fully-trained volunteer mentors, it aims to provide these young people with ‘islands of space and time’ in which to address the difficulties they are encountering. Mentoring takes place weekly over a 12-month period.

“Besides increasing self-esteem, mentors also introduce young people to positive forms of recreational activity, helping them to participate in a more active lifestyle, physically and socially. The Island enables volunteers from the local community to make a real difference in the lives of local young people, and therefore has community at its very core.”

York Pride, a small number of volunteers who aim is to promote equality, diversity and advances in education, to stop discrimination against the LGBT community – is centred around the annual York Pride event, which this year was attended by about 2,000 people at Knavesmire with a theme of marriage equality.

The nomination said: “We believe York Pride deserves to be recognised for the positive work it is doing to help assist the LGBT community in this city. Pride volunteers are passionate about inclusion, equality and fairness, and this surely must deserve to be recognised.”

Meanwhile, among the many other nominations to have been received by The Press is a friendly service which supports new mums.

Yumi Mummy Fitness, run by Jo Cadden at Chok Dee gym in York Business Park, allows mums to get back into shape by taking their baby along while they exercise.

Nominating it in the service with a smile category, Sherrie Wood said: “This has been a godsend for me since my baby was born five months ago. Jo is so supportive both in helping you to get physically fit but also in the emotional wellbeing way too.

“There is always a friendly smiling face when you enter the gym, an empathic ear if you have had a sleepless night, advice of both parenting matters and fitness, exercise and health and someone to cuddle your baby if they are crying whilst you continue to exercise.”

The Community Pride Awards, which will have a York 800 theme this year, are sponsored by Benenden Healthcare and run in partnership with City of York Council .