The Best of South Tyneside Awards 2024

Shields Gazette

We speak to some of the award winners at the Best of South Tyneside Awards 2024

Transcript

00:00Oh my god, this is so amazing for Community Corner. We've worked so hard for the last 10 years.

00:07For our team and our supporters it's just going to be a massive boost, a massive, massive boost.

00:12This just might keep us going.

00:14So we sell second-hand items that are obviously kindly donated by the public

00:18and then with the money we raise we'll give it away to people in South Tyneside who need it most.

00:23Very important. We try to engage with the community as much as we can.

00:28A lot of the apprentices are all from South Tyneside.

00:31It's a great honour, yes. Very happy.

00:33For me it's about consume nothing as a business.

00:38So it starts with energy for us, so solar, electric vehicles, intelligent charging, battery storage

00:49and then transmitting that message to our customer base as well.

00:52And along with everything we do we're fortunate enough that

00:57we don't manufacture, so everything is electronic for us.

01:01So passing that to the customer as well and letting them understand their choice in technology.

01:07Because I lived, eat, sleep, breathe it myself, like I love training

01:10and I know how it makes us feel that I just wanted to put that in everybody in our town

01:15and furthermore as well.

01:17So I rented gyms and stuff like that.

01:19In lockdown I've done everything on Zoom in my back garden

01:23and then I started renting a unit out of an industrial estate in Hebbin.

01:29And then from there we've got KW Explorers where I take women on hikes.

01:32We go to the Lake District, we do sunrise workouts, we do beach events.

01:36We've got a KW Teens class that's also funded by South Tyneside Youth Service.

01:41And then off the back end of that I've just got a new young lad working for us, Luke.

01:45So I've started opening up to lads as well, but lads only.

01:49So we'll do a teen boys class as well.

01:51And then I've just pushed for funding for that.

01:53So we've got funding for that from South Tyneside Youth Service as well.

01:56So the business just keeps growing as a whole,

01:58but overall I'm just wanting to flood South Tyneside with a feeling of goodness,

02:04like just to give women confidence

02:06and to give them a safe space to come and train with their children as well.

02:09Like he's already won this exact same thing,

02:13but I've never actually sold it, like, how marvellous.

02:17To be honest with you, he's always been a star in my eyes since the day he was born

02:22and he was diagnosed with that chromosome 8p.

02:26He's just astounded me as well as everybody who knows him.

02:31So I don't know what else to say really, to be honest with you.

02:35I'm just so surprised.

02:3762nd award, isn't it?

02:40Little man.

02:42They're going to look this way to the camera.

02:44It feels unbelievable because she's come such a long way

02:49since a birth defect and stuff like that.

02:52And from a foot amputation of two years old to,

02:55I can't pronounce the other things basically,

02:58but recently up there, like about a month and a half ago now,

03:03she had the biggest seven-hour surgery ever

03:05to basically straighten her femur and her leg and stuff like that.

03:09And it just amazes us how strong she is every single time.

03:14She just comes out the surgery and after two or three days,

03:17she's back to her normal little self.

03:19And it's just overwhelming for me and her mum, you know.

03:22It's just, we're just so proud of her, how far she's come

03:25and we're so chuffed to bits that she's getting this.

03:28Daddy, guess what?

03:29What?

03:30I've got my bra skirt on.

03:32You have got your bra skirt on.

03:34She means she's got a cast off her leg

03:36because she had a waist cast on for this surgery

03:39and they're all down one side of your body, didn't you?

03:41For about six weeks.

03:43And it was a pain in the bum, wasn't it?

03:45But you got it off, didn't you eventually?

03:47And she's all doing good and that.

03:48Like, so she's got a lot of more procedures to come,

03:52like, but the next one's like probably six months or a year's time.

03:55But it's a long, long process basically.

03:58But hopefully the goal is,

04:00is so she can walk like most other children every day,

04:04like our other children we have

04:05and all the other boys and girls in the world

04:07that get to run around and play,

04:09where she goes to nursery every day

04:12and she has just as much fun,

04:13but she has to crawl everywhere at three, nearly four years old.

04:16But hopefully we're going to get,

04:18we're going to get your legs soon, aren't we?

04:19And learn to walk, aren't we?

04:21Yeah.

04:22I think the pups are going to help me all by then.

04:27Yeah, she loves Paw Patrol,

04:29the pups are going to help her as well,

04:30and the Paw Patrol pups.

04:31And Ryder.

04:32And Ryder as well, yeah, and Ryder.

04:35My heart's been racing all night and hearing my name,

04:37it's just blown out my mind.

04:39I've been in the cadets 96 years now.

04:42I started off as a junior.

04:44As soon as I turned 12, I went to sea cadets.

04:46Then as soon as I turned 13, I joined the marines.

04:49And it's been what an experience.

04:51I've went up four ranks in that time.

04:54I'm now one of the second highest in the unit,

04:56going for sergeant next year.

04:58Absolutely delighted to be presenting the award tonight

05:01to the sea cadets in South Shields.

05:03Bearing in mind my father was a merchant seaman,

05:05and I am absolutely delighted to be presenting the award.

05:08They do an absolutely sterling job

05:10and a huge well done for everybody.

05:12So you're accepting this award on behalf of Penny.

05:14Can you tell me a little bit about Penny

05:16and also what you do and how you do it?

05:19Yeah, so I direct Penny for the school shows.

05:21She often gets like the lead roles

05:23because she's a wonderfully, wonderfully talented person.

05:26Her singing is just exceptional.

05:27She can dance, she can act.

05:29She's a real all-rounder.

05:30Well, I feel really over the moon.

05:33I can't really believe it, to be honest, you know.

05:35What he has given to South Tyneside over decades

05:38has been absolutely phenomenal.

05:40And I did go in the word a few weeks ago.

05:41Eddie didn't see me,

05:43but he was actually playing chess

05:45with other people across the table.

05:47Eddie, thank you so, so much for your commitment,

05:50your loyalty and your dedication

05:52to the people of South Tyneside.

05:53You do an absolutely sterling job.

05:56And this isn't about the lifetime of 25 years.

05:58It is beyond.

05:59So thank you, Eddie.

06:00I've got another 25 to go yet.

06:02Absolutely.

06:03Actually speechless, which isn't normally me.

06:06Just blown away.

06:06Even just being nominated,

06:08considering how good the other people are

06:10and just the quality of people in there

06:13who support South Tyneside.

06:14So to be classed as an unsung hero is just, yeah.

06:19I'm trying not to cry to be fair, so.

06:22You guys dressed up as Santa

06:24and I'm his little elf.

06:26So, yeah, so just, it's just one of them things that

06:30it's grown arms and legs.

06:3214 years from the front of his house.

06:34Now the display is about 70, 80 foot long

06:37and it's just, just magical Christmas.

06:40And to be honest with you,

06:41I didn't expect that one.

06:42And even just trying to hold back the tears now,

06:44it's, I'm a proud sand dancer.

06:46So, you know, just I do a lot for South Tyneside,

06:51for South Shields.

06:51It's where I'm from.

06:53I'm proud of that fact.

06:54I'm full of amazing people, as you can see in that room.

06:58So to get that sort of a recognition is just,

07:01that's blown me away.

07:02I'm, yeah, just superb.

07:04And can you tell me a little bit more

07:06about the Red Bench Project?

07:07The Red Bench Project is suicide prevention.

07:10It's basically, we're trying to get benches

07:12in suicide hotspots to try and save lives.

07:16Whether that's where somebody takes five minutes

07:18just to calm down

07:19or whether it's to get help then and there

07:20ringing the Samaritans to find help, support.

07:24Yeah, it started off as one bench

07:27with the help of Tracy Dixon, the council leader.

07:30And from that, we've expanded.

07:32We've got one at Thirst and Outdoor Activity Centre.

07:35We're getting them all over the region.

07:37We've had interest from all over the UK, to be fair.

07:40He is committed to South Tyneside and to support others.

07:43And he is absolutely in awe of what's happened tonight

07:46and a very, very welcome reward for Wayne.

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