More than 20 people have been recognised for their service to the community with the award of Lord Mayor’s Medals.
The local heroes and their friends and family members were invited to a private event at the Lord Mayor’s Mansion in Clifton, hosted by Lord Mayor Andrew Varney and Deputy Lord Mayor Paul Goggin.
Now in its 41st year, the Lord Mayor’s Medals aim to shine a spotlight on the brilliant achievements made by organisations and individuals across Bristol who have gone above and beyond to improve the lives of their fellow citizens and local communities.
TARA MIRAN
Tara has championed many causes including bringing together stakeholders from the council, housing and police in a regular forum to discuss how the community can be safe for all. This has included setting up and chairing a regular stakeholder meeting and continued pressure for improvements.
Tara’s achievements include:
• Bringing together the community to highlight the closure of the St Paul’s Dentist. Persuaded the landlord to ‘hold’ the property while the NHS seeks to find a replacement provider.
• Championing upgrading cameras.
• Helping to found St Paul’s Community Garden, tackling social isolation and achieving community cohesion.
• Starting the Action on Representation group in Fairlawn School, celebrating and raising awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Supporting the community during the pandemic and helping to set up a fruit and veg co-op in St Paul’s.
• Organising the St Paul’s Community fun day.
LOIS GODDARD
Lois is the chair and a founding member of the Redland Green Community Group, launched nearly 20 years ago.
She organises and participates in, a wide range of volunteer activities including:
• The annual Redland Fair.
• Runs the Annual Christmas Carol concert on Redland Green.
• Hosts a day of apple pressing, where residents can turn their surplus apples into juice.
• Litter picking
• Undertakes bulb planting, hedge laying, tree planting and maintenance of the Green’s meadows.
STELLA HARDING
Stella has been the backbone of the Friends of Clifton Centre and Library since it was started in 2015.
She has served as the secretary and is now the co-chair of the Friends group. Stella has performed a wide range of tasks – from curating the programme of events to taking responsibility for producing and arranging the delivery of the programme to all homes in Clifton, to putting out the chairs and welcoming the speakers to events.
Stella seemed to live at the library last year as it was used to deliver a very full and varied programme of activities under the Warm Spaces programme run by BCC.
There are many elderly people in Clifton who are asset rich but cash poor and they appreciated having a warm and welcoming space to come to in the energy crisis. This programme has been maintained in as volunteers and citizens value it.
For the last four years, the Friends have run an annual LitFest and Stella has been the driving force behind this too. This year, over 1000 tickets were sold for a very successful weekend of talks.
MANOR FARM COMMUNITY HUB
Ann Bennett is the chair of Manor Farm Community Hub (MFCH), and Anna George is the secretary of the organisation, which they founded with others in 2014.
Its initial purpose was to campaign for a community centre in Manor Farm – the shell of the building is now complete and due to be commissioned within the next few months.
Alongside campaigning for the community centre, Ann and Anna have:
• Led MFCH to support residents’ wellbeing, social welfare and positive recreation and leisure time by providing facilities and information.
• Secured funding for improved facilities in Maskelyne Park, including play equipment, seating and picnic benches.
• Organised school holiday events in Maskelyne Park, Easter egg hunts, lantern making and community consultation evenings.
• Supported other local organisations, including the flourishing Manor Farm Community Garden, the Horfield Strollers and Love Horfield.
Ann and Anna said: “We would like to extend a big thank you firstly to our former Councillor Philippa Hulme who nominated our group for this award, and secondly to the two Lord Mayors for hosting this very special and memorable occasion.”
ARDAGH COMMUNITY TRUST
THE work of the Ardagh Community Trust (ACT) was recognised with the award of Lord Mayor’s Medals.
Fiona Wright and Steve Strong, trustees of the ACT since its creation in 2017, received their accolades in recognition of their contribution to the community trust, based off Kellaway Avenue. They were instrumental in rescuing the original derelict site from being used for housing, and turning it into a popular hub which benefits the local community through its many sustainable operations and positive social and environmental impacts.
Fiona has been a volunteer for more than a decade, initially with the Friends of Horfield Common and then as a trustee of Ardagh Community Trust. She has focused on leading community engagement, ensuring people were able to contribute their views, skills and experiences.
The site now includes a community café, open seven days a week. There have been many supporters and volunteers on the project but Fiona is the longest-serving. Her commitment to inclusion through gardening has led to the development of the public gardens which grows some of the food, plants and flowers, and supporting the planting of 5,500 trees across Horfield Common.
Steve Strong led the Board of Trustees at ACT from 2017 to 2023. He founded the charity, developed it, ensured local residents influence its development and remains a trustee. Steve has worked with citywide partners and stakeholders to achieve success in a complex community asset transfer, enabling resident-volunteers to reimagine how the asset could support improved outcomes for the community.