New Milton Town Council proudly hosted the annual Citizen of the Year awards at New Milton Memorial Hall in April. It was a delightful evening, welcoming over 130 members of the community in celebration of our Community Champions.
Local schools and youth groups were invited to send in their nominations for young people to receive a Mayor’s Commendation. The Mayor, Cllr Alvin Reid, wanted to celebrate young people who had achieved something admirable or exceptional within their peer groups, or for the wider community.
Unfortunately, on the presentation night, the Mayor was unable to attend due to illness and the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Madalaine Craze took on the presentation role assisted by Cllr Judith Baker.
An incredible 16 nominations were proposed. Each individual was acknowledged and thanked for their personal achievements coming from sports, or overcoming tough challenges, or excelling in extra-curricular activities such as historical research or being members of the Army Cadet Force.
The following young people attended the presentation event, receiving a Mayor’s Commendation Certificate and gift-voucher to spend as they wished.
The nominees were: Finn Tibbert-Wykvliet, Leighton Grace, Charlie Burroughs, Ayden Nightingale, Noah Gawler, Cruiz Andrews, Elsie Knott, Izzi Pugh and Alex Hooper
Some of the young people nominated were unavailable to attend the presentation event and will be invited to attend the Town’s Annual Assembly to receive their certificates and vouchers from the Mayor which takes place on Wednesday 7 May.
William Branton, Elodie Burkmur, Swara Urankar, Izzy Lloyd Jones, Callum Murray, Poppy Bonsell and Marleigh Bonsell
Following on from the presentation, congratulations were extended to nominees for the award of New Milton Citizen of the Year.
These individuals had all demonstrated dedication and support to the local community and were all given rapturous applause for their efforts. Brian and Jan Coy, Mandy Hayes, Sue Larking, Terry Mangles, Alan Watson, and Darren Wiles, were all presented with certificates to acknowledge their contributions to our community.
Mandy Hayes was awarded Community Champion 2025 and presented with a personally engraved glass plaque and certificate for leading many community initiatives including the PUP Squad, litter picking, and recently being at the forefront of the Friends of New Milton Station project.
After the event, Mandy said “I just want to say how honoured I was to receive the Community Champion Award yesterday at the Civic Celebration event. It was lovely to be amongst so many people gathered in one place who care so much about our town and its community. ‘Community Champion’ is quite an accolade and behind this title and the beautiful glass trophy lies a whole army of people. I would like to thank all the teams I have the pleasure of working with who inspire me and keep me motivated.”
Brian and Jan Coy were chosen as our joint Citizens of the Year 2025, and also presented with a personally engraved glass plaque and certificate acknowledging their unwavering support in running the Open Sight Club in Bashley for the visually impaired members of our community.
Brian also shared with the audience that the Open Sight Club was a friendly and active social club but in need of more volunteers to support the group.
Anyone interested in helping can email volunteering@opensight.org.uk or call 02380 641244 for more information.
Guest performers were the Parkinsons Singing Buddies Choir, who get together at Coda Music Trust, to sing for fun and for friendship. Fiona Pritchard, Music Therapy Teacher, led the Choir in their first live performance and it was an absolute treat as their camaraderie shone throughout.
The community event closed with a cheque presentation to the Mayor’s nominated Charity, New Milton Men’s Shed. The cheque for £1,153, was raised at Mayoral events including the Annual Carol Service and Mayor’s Afternoon Tea Party.