Voluntary Award

SYLVIA DEY was born on Worcester Bridge on a New Year's Day and has lived all her life in the Faithful City!

Sylvia has been involved in a number of charities, including being a member of the fund-raising committee of the National Cancer Research Campaign, volunteer at the Swan Theatre and member of the Worcester Ladies Club.

In 1976, she became a founder member of the Worcester Talking Newspaper and having been chairman in the past is now vice chair and a very active participant in the weekly production of the paper.

In 1990, she became a trustee Council member of the National Talking Newspaper Association and in 2001 became its chairman.

There are 420 UK-wide and six Worcestershire-based Talking Newspapers providing a vital service for 250,000 visually impaired people. Sylvia has been instrumental in establishing a permanent base in Worcester for the Talking Newspaper. As national chairman she helped to set up Talking Newspapers as a recognised charity and has represented them both at conferences in the UK and liaised with the Dutch to enable impaired people there to have access to the UK talking newspapers.

She is a full-time personal assistant at County Hall, in Worcester.

PATRICIA GUNNELL, from Worcester, started her charity work by becoming involved in fund-raising in 1972. Since then she has worked continuously in a number of capacities in voluntary work.

Pat has been a school helper and fund-raiser at an infant school and a playgroup assistant at a community centre since 1979. She later joined the management committee and was appointed children's officer and ran the play schemes for 16 years.

Pat is, at present, working with the Witness Service to provide support for vulnerable witnesses at Worcester Magistrates Courts.

Her tasks include looking after and briefing witnesses who may feel nervous or intimidated when coming to the courts for the first time. Pat also serves on the recently introduced scheme called the Young Offenders Panels.

Young people of 10-17 years old who have offended and been found guilty appear before the panel to discuss, with their parents and the panel, how they may work to put right the damage they may have done in the community.

The "contract" is then negotiated and agreed with the panel and the young person. She also ensures that the agreed work is completed satisfactorily.

Pat has organised children's outings, taking as many as 200 children to the seaside, where in some cases they are seeing the sea for the first time.

BUSINESS AWARD

CLARE CROSS of Worcester, is the founder and managing director of Leadline, a call-centre she set up, in 1997, at home with a team of two other people.

This has now grown into a thriving business with 26 employees. Leadline's work now includes telemarketing, mail-order, telephone-answering services and various additional secretarial services.

Clare is keen to see her business continue to expand and try to achieve the best results for her clients.

VIVIENNE HUDSON comes from a background in the hotel and leisure industry.

She recognised a niche in the market and, in March 1999, she set up Hotelshop UK, initially with two staff and 35 hotels on its books, which has grown to 35 staff (and is still growing) and more than 350 hotels across the UK.

She provides a service for smaller groups and independent hotels to enable them to compete with larger groups.

Vivienne is keen to maintain the highest standards, not only in her business, but also with her staff.

CHRISTABEL LEWIS, from Kidderminster, is chairman of Wyre Forest Community Housing, which provides social housing.

About 15 years ago, Chris was elected as the tenants' representative at Wyre Forest District Council.

Her role was to try and improve the homes and quality of life for people living in council houses.

When, more recently, the housing stock was transferred to Community Housing, a social housing company with nearly 6,000 properties, Chris was elected to its management board, later becoming the first tenants' chairman.

During the first three years, Chris led her board to gain an Investors in People award and the coveted Chartermark award for its Repairs and Maintenance Service, along with recognition by the Housing Corporation as a leader in the provision of social housing.

Chris's achievements have included seeing greater involvement by tenants in the management of their own housing - a major improvement in modernising the company's homes - as well as seeking training and work opportunities for local people through initiatives and the provision of new homes to reduce waiting lists.

KAY COOMBES of Malvern, is director of the Association for Rehabilitation of Communication and Oral Skills (ARCOS).

She originally hails from Droitwich, was educated in Worcester and maintains strong links with Worcestershire through her work, family and friends.

Kay is a senior speech therapist and lecturer. She is responsible for the day-to-day running of ARCOS; organising and participating in therapy and training programmes; providing "expert witness" opinion; planning with ARCOS trustees and staff future strategies and implementation; contacting potential donors and liaising with a variety of professional and public people.

Kay's teaching commitments have been both in the UK and abroad and she has been instrumental in helping to establish several specialist centres to work with adults with brain injuries and children who have complex disabilities caused by cerebral palsy and head injury.

Much of her work focuses on the rehabilitation of people with severely impaired voice, speech and swallowing problems.

Kay's personal motivation comes from the knowledge that she and others around her can make a difference to the lives of children and adults who have survived injury or illness, but have a life-long impairment that reduces their quality of life.

JENNIE BASHFORTH of Worcester, is the Director of Social Services responsible for delivering social care to those people who are in need, or are vulnerable, in Worcestershire.

Jennie trained as a social worker, a job she worked at from 1975 to 1987, before gaining various management posts. In 1996 she became the assistant director of Social Services with Bath and North East Somerset Council. During that period she was working full-time and also obtained a Masters degree from Bristol University in Management Development and Social Responsibility.

In 2001, Jennie was appointed to her present position, which has proved to be a challenging post with many urgent issues to face. The users and staff in the social services would agree that she is an inspirational leader with vision and energy, whose dynamism has made a massive difference in a relatively short time.

Her guiding principle has always been that, in the field of social services, she is determined to make a difference to the lives of people whose needs are many and varied.

Also, to lead a team who, with her support, are as passionate as she is to improve the quality of people's lives.

JACKIE STEPHEN-HAYNES of Worcester, is a lecturer and practitioner in tissue viability whose innovative nursing past focuses on clinical practice and education in relation to the prevention and treatment of all wounds, including leg ulceration, pressure damage, burns, abrasions, cuts and lacerations.

Jackie and her team provide a county-wide service through six community hospitals and other medical units.

A nurse with 22 years experience, she is, in spite of encouragement to "move upwards", determined to retain her clinical and research role.

The work of Jackie and her team has been recognised nationally through the many publications and posters she has produced and the awards received.

Jackie's interest in the practices and research in her highly specialised area of nursing do not preclude her from managing and enjoying her family, including her seven year-old son, and continuing her studies for a PhD.

One of the most prestigious award schemes around...

THE quest to find a special woman who demonstrates qualities of determination, courage and commitment started 17 years ago as a way to raise the profile of a city hospice.

Since then, the Worcestershire Woman of the Year Awards have grown into one of the most prestigious and exciting awards schemes in the region.

Since 1986, more than £180,000 has been raised for St Richard's Hospice through the awards, which recognise the important contribution women make to society and their communities.

The bi-annual event started with just one award but now includes three categories.

The Business Award recognises a woman who has set up her own successful business and demonstrated outstanding entrepreneurial skills. She must have a high regard for training and development within her organisation.

The Achievement Award goes to a woman who is a high achiever in her chosen career and whose contribution has made a significant impact on the local community.

The Voluntary Award recognises a woman who has made a significant voluntary contribution to the life of her local community by giving freely of her time and effort.

Target

Over the years the awards lunch has taken place at a diverse range of venues - including Worcester Cathedral, Worcester's Guildhall and Spetchley Hall, Worcester - with this year's lunch due to take place at Malvern Theatres, Malvern.

More than 300 women will come together tomorrow to hear who has won this year's awards, with the 2003 fund-raising target of £30,000 - to pay for a specialist nurse for St Richard's Hospice - on track to be reached or even beaten.

A highlight of the lunch is the speaker, with past speakers having included Kate Adie OBE, Dame Jennifer Jenkins, Edwina Currie and the Countess of Mar.

This year's speaker is Frigid Woman author, Sue Riches, who, having battled breast cancer, then became a member of the first all-woman expedition to the North Pole.

Carole Bawden, one of the organisers, said as each year went past it became more difficult to judge.

"As the role of women in our community has become even greater, it has become increasingly difficult to judge the awards," she said.

"The quality of entrants is simply phenomenal. I believe we are contributing so much more in a huge number of areas.

"Many more women from all different backgrounds are being nominated.

"The commitment of the nominees is outstanding.

"As an observer, it's very humbling."