Borough Insight

Active Citizen Award

Each year the the council formally recognises a member of the Epsom and Ewell community, who goes above and beyond in a voluntary and/or campaigning capacity.

The Active Citizen award is within the incumbent Mayor's gift. The individual is permanently recorded on a special citation within the Town Hall and receives a medal at an evening reception honouring volunteers from across the borough.

This year, the Mayor has selected Anne McEntee to receive the recognition.

Image: Anne McEntee wearing her Acive Citizen medalAlmost as soon as moving to Epsom in 1986, Anne became part of the local community through St Joseph's Church in Epsom where her late husband, Tom, was a very popular reader. Unfortunately, Tom died in 2015 due to a brain tumour and since then Anne has worked tirelessly raising money to help fund research into better outcomes for this awful disease.

Anne has organised a fundraiser each year for Brain Tumour Research Wear a Hat Day and also raises funds by selling garden plants and flowers for Wear a Hat Day With Flowers.  She has also raised funds through having a Grey Ribbon tattoo on her wrist, shaving her hair off and dyeing it pink, abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth and taking part in a virtual walk from Land’s End to John O'Groats and back.

Afternoon Tea with Music & Fizz in Anne's Garden has raised much needed funds for Princess Alice Hospice prior to Covid.  She hopes to revive that tradition later this summer.

Anne, together with Alex and Kathy, intends to undertake a skydive for some significant birthdays next year

She is also involved with a social group called Carpe Diem, who organise walks and social events. This group grew out of a bereavement group at Princess Alice Hospice and has allowed members to socialise and share with others who 'get it' in a safe and understanding environment.

Anne is a proud founder member of the 'Strong Women's Club' where women can meet, talk and support one another.

Like so many, she found herself confined to barracks during lockdown and used her time to hone her computer skills by linking with others in similar circumstances on Zoom and Facetime to try to ease the isolation of so many who were cut off from friends and family.

Anne is one of those people who knows someone you know, is always happy to help and if she can't, she will find someone who can. She always says she is simply the facilitator and the real heroes are the wonderful friends and family without whom none of her ideas would ever see the light of day.

Picture credit: What's On In Epsom

Comments

No comments have been left for this article

Have your say...

Your name will be published alongside your comment but we will not publish your email address.

All comments will be reviewed by a moderator before being published.

Please ensure you complete all fields marked as mandatory.