Bury’s “unsung heroes” have been rewarded with Made in Bury awards for their outstanding contribution to the community.

The winners were presented with their certificates at the annual meeting of Bury Council on 3 June.

The winners are:

Outstanding Contribution to a Township - Andrew Taylor

Andrew is a retired police inspector who served his final years in Rochdale Division. He was later employed by Rivers/Contour Housing as a manager on the Hillock Estate in Whitefield, and was instrumental in setting up the Hollins Village Community Association (HVCA) in 2002 along with his wife Pam. He helped establish the Hillock and Oakgate Residents Association and is the secretary of HUSH (Hollins, Unsworth and Sunnybank Homewatch Association) which has expanded under his and Len Lotts’ stewardship to include the whole of Whitefield and now called the Whitefield and Unsworth Homewatch Association. Andrew established the Hollins Vale Local Nature Reserve, actively promoting the Hollins "Go Wild" day. He also planned the Bury Divisional Homewatch
Conference which covers all of the metropolitan borough of Bury and meets once a year, where people can network, meet guest speakers and share best practice. Andrew’s vision is for this work to expand to cover the whole of the Greater Manchester Police area.

Young Person or Young Persons’ Group: Outstanding community contribution - P.O.G. (Proud of Gayness)

P.O.G. helps to fight discrimination and ensure that Bury is a more inclusive place for young LGBT
people, giving often bewildered youngsters a place to explore and understand their sexual orientation and contribute to the diversity of life in Bury. The group supports young people who are coming out and/or questioning their sexuality and their work helps to promote their health and wellbeing. The young people of POG have been a vibrant part of Bury's community for some years, and been instrumental in organising the annual Walking Rainbow through the town centre, thus raising the profile of Bury's LGBT community.

Volunteer of the Year - Christine Taylor

Christine has been a pillar of the local community for many years. Her many activities include being a Scout leader, warden of the local community centre (Greenmount Old School), a committee member of Tottington District Civic Society, and an active member of the Greenmount Village Community. She organises a monthly jumble sale in aid of the community centre, organises walking tours and has researched and written material about the history of the area. Her overall cooperative attitude has
been an inspiration to many.

The awards were presented by the outgoing Mayor of Bury, Councillor Sharon Briggs, who said: “This council values the work that voluntary, community and faith sector groups and volunteers do
across ou rborough which help make Bury a good place to live, work and visit.

“These awards help us to recognise that, across our communities, individuals and groups continue to give their unpaid time and commitment to improve their local areas and the lives of others. During my time as mayor, I have been honoured to meet many of them and witness first hand the type of work
they do and the positive impact they have on the lives of others. We have been truly overwhelmed by the examples of community activity, giving, sharing and supporting that is happening on a daily basis across our borough.”