Vote for Melksham’s Person of the Year

THE nominees for Melksham News’ Person of the Year 2016 competition have been shortlisted, and now readers are being asked to cast their vote on who they think should be crowned the winner. In our last issue, Melksham News asked readers to nominate their ‘Person of the Year’ – somebody in the town who deserves recognition for their outstanding actions over the past year or who has had the biggest impact on life in the town. Below is the shortlist. You can vote by simply emailing your choice to news@melkshamnews.co.uk (please include your own name and address) or by filling out the form on page 3 of the newspaper and returning it to Melksham News, 31 Market Place, Melksham. SN12 6ES The deadline for voting is 5pm on Wednesday 25th January.

Graham Ellis

Graham has been involved with the Melksham Railway Development Group since 2005. As the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership Community Rail Officer, Graham spearheaded a campaign which saw an increase in the number of train journeys starting or ending in Melksham from 12,000 in 2013 to 60,000 in 2016.

He has dedicated many years to encouraging local people to travel by train and has seen the number of trains stopping in Melksham grow from 28 a week to 119 in three years.

Graham also won an award for a project, The Weymouth Wizard, which runs from Melksham to Weymouth during the summer at the Community Rail Awards 2016. He also organises the festive train ride from Melksham station.

Graham is a supporter of the Community Area Partnership and has been president of Melksham Chamber of Commerce and Industry for over five years.

Graham said, “I’m very flattered and it’s a great honour, but there are many people involved who contribute to getting the enhancements into place.”

Brian and Jean Evans

Brian ‘Taff’ Evans and his wife Jean have for many years given their time and support to local football teams and were instrumental in setting up AFC Melksham Disabled Football team six years ago. They were awarded with a Civic Award in 2015 in recognition of their contribution to the community.

Taff is the manager of AFC Melksham Disabled Football team and in his own time qualified as a physio, welfare officer, FA Level coach and  obtained CRB clearance to ensure his volunteer time is professionally supported by ‘skills’.

Jean supports Brian and the team by providing food and drink, washing kit and generally keeping things organised.

Taff and Jean have lived in Melksham for over 20 years and say they are delighted – but surprised – to be nominated.

Brian and Jean’s nomination said, “I’m nominating Taff and Jean Evans because of the tireless work they put into providing the disabled football team in Melksham. In a town which doesn’t always have services and events  for disabled people, Taff and Jean’s volunteer work running the AFC Melksham Ability Counts team provides a vital service for disabled people who otherwise may not get the chance to play football or make new friends. They do this out of their own time as well without getting paid.”

Bev Viveash

Bev has lived in Melksham since 1980 and in that time has dedicated many years to the community by fundraising and supporting local groups and events.

Bev has been Brown Owl for 1st Melksham Brownies for over 23 years. She was presented with an award in 2014 in recognition of her dedication and valuable contribution to Guiding.

She also helps organise and run two knitting groups in the town which knit various items for charities and local organisations including Operation Christmas Child, Melksham’s Poppy Appeal and Age UK. Bev delivers the finished items to the local charities and hospitals.

Since her daughter Nicola died from cancer in 2013, Bev has been actively fundraising for the RUH Forever Friends Appeal and by the end of December 2016, had raised over £10,000 for Nicola’s Tribute Fund and over £40,000 for the appeal.

Bev is also a supporter of local events in Melksham and has stalls at Party in the Park, Melksham Food and River Festival, Melksham’s Christmas Fayre and many more.

Jon Hubbard

Jon Hubbard is the founder of Young Melksham and runs youth clubs every week at the Canberra Centre.

Jon is also a town and Wiltshire councillor and is involved with  many organisations in Melksham but says his work with Young Melksham is his passion outside of his job as a councillor and he would continue to work with Canberra whatever happened.

Jon’s nomination said, “Jon is the driving force behind Young Melksham. It is due to his hard work that Melksham now has excellent facilities for our young people. Jon is responsible for getting the use of Canberra and opening it as a Youth Club.

“He is responsible for our young people having access to a counsellor and for the Young People Awards that have been running for six years. None of these things would happen without Jon. I do not know how many hours Jon spends driving Young Melksham – it must be 20-30 hours per week. Young Melksham will continue to grow because of Jon Hubbard.”

Hilary McFall

Hilary has lived in Melksham for 26 years and for 21 of those years organised the annual Operation Christmas Child collection in Wiltshire. Hilary retired in 2014 but didn’t have any plans to put her feet up.

In March 2014 Hilary set up a local knitting club, Crazy About Knitting, which now has 83 members. The group which meets on the first Wednesday of the month, knits items for various charities including The Doorway Project, Children in Nepal and Age UK. In its first year the group knitted over 2,200 items.

More recently, Hilary became the manager at Melksham Food Bank having been a volunteer and seeing the work that they do.

Hilary said, “I’m humbled to be nominated. I’m happy to help anyone and really enjoy what I do.”

Hilary’s nomination said, “Hilary has devoted a large part of her life to charity work. She works tirelessly at Melksham Food Bank but she also helps families in crisis at any time, not only when the Food Bank is open.

“She is an amazing woman and I think really deserves some recognition.”

Miriam Zaccarelli

Miriam is the deputy town clerk at Melksham Town Council but after five years in the post, recently announced she will be leaving in March.

Miriam has always been heavily involved with helping to organise and promote many community events.

She has been involved with the Melksham Food and River Festival since it began in 2015, Bloom in Melksham, Tidy Town Days, the Best Looking Business competition, the Young People’s Awards, the Sports Roadshows and the Christmas Fayre and lights switch-on.

Miriam was involved with the collection for refugees in 2015 and  organised various events to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday last year, including the Queen’s Tea Party Picnic, treasure hunt ‘Hunt for the Red Roses’ and ‘Clean for the Queen’.

Miriam’s nomination said, “She has continually gone above and beyond her role in the council, organising the tidy town days in her own time, making empty shops look beautiful with amazing flower displays, putting in hours of her own time for Melksham in Bloom and events like the Food Festival, and volunteering countless hours, all unpaid and largely unthanked.”

Miriam said, “Thank you for the nomination. ‘Melksham is the most wonderful community made up of the loveliest people. It is a real privilege working with you all.”