VOLUNTEERS from Earley Air Cadet Squadron, Norreys Church and Earley Environmental Group are the recipients of this month’s Wokingham Borough Mayor’s Roll of Honour awards for outstanding commitment and contributions to the area.

Nominated by an anonymous Winnersh resident, Earley Air Cadet Squadron is made up of 10 volunteers who give up their time to develop, train and work with more than 40 young people, ranging from 12 to 20 years old, from around the borough.

Some of the invaluable skills they teach young people include first aid, teamwork, survival skills, cooking, presentation skills, leadership, and independence.

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Volunteers also frequently help at local events around the borough, recently supporting the Winnersh Fete.

The nominator said: “These amazing individuals do all this noble work for communities within the Borough and have never received any real recognition for all the good things they do.”

The second recipients were Emma Bardon, Claire Revie and Sharon Bailey from Norreys Church who were nominated by Lisa Hookway from the borough council’s community engagement team, for their fantastic support within the Norreys community in Wokingham.

Emma, Sharon and Claire, along with a team of volunteers, have stepped in to run the Community Café, 50+ Lunch, After School Kids Club and the Ladies Drop-in.

Lisa said: “Without their support these sessions could not have continued while I was away from the Norreys area.

“I nominated them to show how much I value and appreciate all their support.”

Derek Davis from the Earley Environmental Group was also a recipient of the Mayor’s Roll of Honour Awards, nominated by Sheila Crowson.

Derek took on the job of refurbishing two artistically illustrated notice boards, which were very badly corroded and dirty, and also replaced the plywood backing.

Derek worked on this without any charge for his time, which was quite considerable.

Mrs Crowson said: “He had to take the signs down and then resurrected them with the help of Anne and John Booth, also members of EEG.

"He then worked on them at home, making all the purchases himself.

"They now look deserving of their place for local walkers to read and are again part of Earley’s history.”

Councillor Bill Soane, Borough Mayor, said: “The Roll of Honour awards celebrate the borough’s unsung heroes and it’s a chance for us to celebrate their selfless work which positively impacts on our residents’ lives.

“This recognition for Derek Davis and the volunteers at Earley Air Cadet Squadron and Norreys Church is thoroughly deserved and they should be extremely proud of what they have achieved.”

Each month Cllr Soane and his deputy mayor Cllr Malcolm Richards will select worthy winners from those people nominated by members of the public. There will be children’s and adults’ categories and each winner will receive a lapel badge and scroll to mark their achievements. The awards will be given out monthly and the next awards will be presented at September’s council meeting.