A healthy living advocate and a group that educates and entertains were the worthy winners of the inaugural Bishopteignton Community Recognition Awards this month.
Eddy Stephenson, who set up the Bishopsteignton Healthy Living Group, was awarded the individual honour. Eddy set up the group to ensure a doctor’s surgery remained in the village. After successfully achieving its original objective, the group now runs a memory café, a singing for memory group, a walking football group, and a care watch. Bishopsteignton Healthy Living Group has also raised money to install defibrillators at ten sites across the parish and it runs regular checks of these units.
As well as his work with the Healthy Living Group, Eddy is an active member of the Bishopsteignton Emeergency Resilience Team (BERT), he is a steard of the methodist church in Boishopsteignton and he has previsouly managed the Teignmouth National Coast Watch station.
Eddy was chosen from nine other nominations in what Parish clerk Kim Ford described as a ‘very worthy and difficult decision for councillors’.
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Eddy said he was extremely surprised to receive the award and that he felt honoured and humbled.
The group award went to Bishopsteignton Heritage for its contribution to village life through education and entertainment.
Bishopsteignton Heritage chair of trustees John Reynolds accepted the award on behalf of the group.
The community heroes were announced at the annual Bishopsteignton parish meeting on April 7.
Councillors thanked other members of the community for their efforts including:
- retiring parish councillor Jo Head;
- Chris Grimshaw for providing expert knowledge and experience to represent the parish council at the planning inspectorate hearing of the Teignbridge Local Plan in the autumn;
and Tony and Hilary Corlett, who have provided a village welcome pack to all new residents in the parish for the past 20 years.
Tony and Hilary are retiring from this voluntary role and Bishopsteignton Parish Council will be taking over, albeit mostly in a more electronic format.