Community Pride Awards 2011: Best Community Project (From York Press)

Community Pride Awards 2011: Best Community Project

12:04pm Tuesday 25th October 2011 in Community Pride news

Winner: York People First

Runners Up: Poppleton Junior Football Club, Weigh Together

Judges called the nominees in this category “three more wonderful projects, in a category which truly encourages pride in the community”, and praised the hard work of everyone involved in them.

Poppleton Junior Football Club, known as the Tigers, raised funds and co-ordinated grants to help build a new £500,000 sports pavilion at Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, which will help entertain and bring together hundreds of young people in the area for years to come.

The panel also felt the Weigh Together group, which was set up at Bell Farm Community Centre to help people with disabilities take part in weight loss events, would stop wheelchair users and individuals with other disabilities from feeling isolated, and filled a gap in the weight loss market.

But the work of York People First, which sees people with learning disabilities work closely with schools and workplaces around York to fight for the rights of people with disabilities and raise awareness of bullying, ultimately won the award.

Our panel said: “It’s a great project. We’re sure it helps form opinions and attitudes about bullying, and helps people in similar positions.”

Shaun Lavery accepted the award on behalf of York People First, and said: “We help people to speak up about whatever they want to speak out about, and let them feel safe in a safe environment to do that.

“We think working with young people in schools is very important, and have had standing ovations from year ten classes, and hopefully we will see peoples’ attitudes change."

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