First People’s Choice champion at Thank You awards
At the fourth annual Recycle Devon Thank You Awards on Friday 12 February Jennie Dunn and her team at Marpool Primary School won the vote and were recognised for their ‘tireless’ recycling efforts.
Jennie and her team were presented with a certificate and a champagne board made from a flattened champagne bottle.
The ‘People’s Choice’ champion marks a welcome addition to the popular annual awards this year.
As in the previous three years, residents nominated their ‘recycling super-hero’ in one of seven categories which includes schools and businesses. Recycle Devon then shortlisted the 61 nominations and picked category runners-up and winners.
But this year, for the first time, the public were also asked to directly vote for their ‘favourite’ hero – they could choose any of the nominees, regardless if they won a category or not.
More than 850 votes were cast, with Jennie and her team winning an impressive 18 per cent of the vote.
Marpool headteacher Rachel Pattison said: “Jennie and her team thoroughly deserve this award.
“She leads a small team of children supported by a Learning Support Assistant, a teacher, a member of the kitchen staff and a governor and they all work tirelessly to ensure we recycle all our fruit waste and we recycle as much as possible.
“They work across the school composting waste food every day, using a ridan to generate our own compost which we recycle and use in our school grounds.”
It was all part of the fourth Recycle Devon Thank You awards ceremony, held at County Hall, in the Coaver Club, hosted by Matt and Caroline from Heart Radio’s breakfast show.
The awards recognise those people who do that bit extra to help ensure Devon remains clean and green. Recycle Devon is a partnership of 10 councils including Devon County Council, eight district authorities and one unitary authority.
The winners are:
School/Education Recycling Hero (Adult); Sarah Mclintock from Okehampton College
School/Education Recycling Hero (Child); Jay Walker from St David’s Primary School
School Recycling Hero (Group/Class); Eco Warriors Group from Morchard Bishop Primary School
Collection Crew/Operative; Sara Stockman & Crew from Mid Devon
Community Group recycling hero; Esther Mann from Sustainable Crediton's Waste Action Group
Your Recycling Hero; Gordon Bailey from Newton Abbot
Community Group Recycling Hero; Esther Mann from Sustainable Crediton's Waste Action Group
Small Business Champion; Christine Kelly, Chrissy's Used Uniforms, Torbay.
All winners and runners up (complete list on a link at the bottom of the press release) received special handmade Recycle Devon awards, upcycled from glass bottles supplied by Devon company, Glass ReForm based in Barnstaple.
They also enjoyed a scrumptious cream tea sponsored by Waitrose who have supported the awards since their inception.
Chairman of Devon Authorities Waste Reduction and Recycling Committee (DAWRCC) Councillor Rodney Cann said: “These awards have been a great success, 850 people voting for their recycling hero.
“Congratulations to Jenni and all the winners and runners-up. And thank you to Waitrose, Glass ReForm, Heart and everyone who was nominated and shortlisted.
“Its thanks to you that at last count 55.4 per cent of the total rubbish collected or taken to the county’s numerous recycling centres was recycled and makes Devon one of the top recycling counties.”
