We are pleased to announce that four of our County members have won Hillingdon Community Awards in the Helping the Community category.
Helen Hutchings (Uxbridge Division), Andrew Terry and Samantha Hood (both Heathrow Division) were awarded Silver with Michelle Saunders (Heathrow Division) winning Bronze. Helen, Andrew and Michelle are pictured above (Sam was unable to attend the Awards evening).
They were shortlisted from 137 nominations and invited to an Awards evening that took place on 23rd April 2024 where they were presented their awards by the Mayor of Hillingdon, Cllr Shehryar Ahmad-Wallana, Leader of the Council, Cllr Ian Edwards and the council’s Chief Executive, Tony Zaman.
Below you can find snippets from their nominations:
Helen Hutchings
Helen has held many roles within Girlguiding Middlesex North West during her 35 years of service. She is a Brownie Leader within Ickenham, Division Commissioner for Uxbridge, Hillingdon, Harefield and Ickenham and Chairperson of Willow Tree Campsite. This nomination is particularly for her role with the Willow Tree Campsite. Helen has given a huge amount of time and energy to ensure the campsite is maintained and used by Girlguiding members and the local community. It hasn’t been an easy couple of years but Helen has shown resilience and determination to champion the wonderful campsite and sure that the campsite is available for future generations.
Andrew Terry
Andrew runs 3rd Hayes Scouts, Cubs and Beavers as well as supporting 3rd Hayes Guides and Rangers and has done so for 35 years. This nomination is particularly in recognition for his work planning and implementing a varied and interesting programme allowing young members to learn and develop skills in cooking and crafts. The young members and leaders also value and appreciate being driven by Andrew for trips out and taken on camp. He also does a fantastic job maintaining the scout hut, looking after the accounts and doing all the admin to ensure the units can run smoothly.
Samantha Hood
Sam has been a volunteer with Girlguiding for over 30 years. She has been a District Commissioner since 2002 and has stepped in to help fellow leaders and units to ensure that young members don’t miss out on the Girlguiding experience. Sam’s programme is always huge amounts of fun and her commitment to the girls is commendable.
Michelle Saunders
Michelle has been a volunteer with Girlguiding for 19 years. In order to ensure Guiding continues in her local area, Michelle has not only taken on running a Guide Group but also Rainbows and has also opened a Ranger Unit. Michelle goes above and beyond to ensure that girls and young women benefit from being part of Girlguiding and organises engaging and exciting activities. Her commitment to our young members is unwavering.
Assistant County Commissioner Marian said: “I am very happy to see Helen, Andrew, Sam and Michelle recognised for their Girlguiding work and extend my warm congratulations to them all. They have a strong commitment and passion for Girlguiding, so these awards are very well deserved.”
They join previous winners from 2023, Christine Mills, Corrie Irwin and Nicola McGeady (Ruislip-Northwood Division). See their nominations and awards here: Hillingdon Community Awards 2023 winners.
Marian Brown, Assistant County Commissioner and Awards Committee Chair
Awards and Recognition
London Borough of Hillingdon
Hillingdon Community Awards are open to all volunteers who live or volunteer within the London Borough of Hillingdon. Nominations for 2025 will open towards the end of this year.
London Borough of Harrow
Adult members who volunteer in London Borough of Harrow will have their chance to nominate fellow volunteers for the Harrow Heroes which will open later this year. In 2023 Emma Calderbank and Lynn Clifford (Wealdstone Division) and Abi Carlen and Jade Fardon (Harrow and Pinner Division) were selected as Harrow Hero Finalists for their volunteer work for Girlguiding with Jade selected as the winner for her category. See our blog post about the event here: Harrow Heroes Awards 2023.
Girlguiding Awards & Jack Petchey
You can see further details on all awards you can nominate young members and volunteer for on our County’s Awards and Recognition page.