Earlier on in the summer the Howarth family launched the Syd Howarth Community Service Award in memory of Syd Howarth, MBE.

The nominations soon came flooding in, proving that Newton Aycliffe is not only a great place to live, but shows the commitment to the town and it’s residents that the volunteers of the various charities and organisations, who were nominated give, without looking for praise or thanks.

There were numerous nominations for 15 different individuals, charities and organisations who work tirelessly to help those who are in need.

Syd’s three Sons and Daughters-in-Law were given the task of choosing the winner – which was very, very difficult. In the end it was a split vote, so the final decision went back to the nominations to see how many had been received for the two finalists.

The winner of the Syd Howarth Community Service Award 2019, and the recipient of £250, and a trophy is “Community Spirit” started by Neville and Joanne Jones.

The Howarth family would like to thank all the residents who nominated such worthy recipients and look forward to next year’s award. On being told that they had won the award, Community Spirit sent the following letter:

 

Dear Sir,

Neville and Jo Jones would like to thank all who voted for them in the Syd Howarth Community Service Award 2019. Syd was an amazing person who did so much for the Aycliffe community and we are also committed to making a difference to the community in which we live and are honoured to get the first award in Syd Howarth’s name.

There are so many other worthy causes and charities that strive to make Newton Aycliffe a better place such as Honest John, The Darlington Charity Cup, The Rotary Club, Junction 7 and St. Clare’s Food Bank, to mention but a few. The Community Spirit team are grateful to these charities and many local businesses; too many to mention, who support and work with them to help carry out the many random acts of kindness that make Community Spirit what it is and make our local community a better place.

In honour of Syd and in the spirit of his legacy, we will be sharing the prize money with two other charities, giving £50 each to Junction 7 and St. Clare’s to help them continue the good work they do with the Food Banks.

At this time of year in particular, food can be a real issue for many, particularly as Christmas approaches, so the remaining funds will be used by Community Spirit, the charitable organization that came about on the back of the work we initially completed as a couple. The money will go towards the extensive Christmas project of providing hampers to those in need.

We look forward to seeing you all at the Christmas Craft Fair at The Big Club from 11.00am till 3.00pm on Saturday 23rd November, where Mr. & Mrs. Claus will be making an appearance. Funds raised will go towards providing hampers at Christmas to help those in need.

Mr. & Mrs. Claus will be making several appearances in Newton Aycliffe over the festive season, so watch out for more dates.

Santa & Mrs Claus will be at the Xmas Celebration in the town centre on Saturday 30th November, 1-4.30pm, with free gifts for the children and I believe Mrs. Claus has been hard at work making Father Christmas a new suit this year!

Don’t miss it, come join in the fun and help us to make this community a better place at Christmas and throughout the year.

Neville & Joanne Jones