A HARD-WORKING team that overcomes personal challenges to help to clear fly tipping, pull up weeds, dig allotment plots and repair fencing has won a national award.
Leicester City Council’s park services amenities team is made up of adults with disabilities or additional support needs. They won the Keep Britain Tidy Team of the Year award at a ceremony in Manchester last week (26 February).
The award honours a team that consistently delivers exceptional service through strong teamwork and leadership, resulting in a positive impact on their local community. Judges described them as the standout nomination, and said their recognition was richly deserved.
Parks manager Victoria Hudson, who nominated the team, said: “The members of this team have a range of complex medical and support needs, but that doesn’t stop them coming to work every day with a smile. They show great empathy, always going the extra mile to support each other. There’s no job that they aren’t happy to have a go at, and they display the most fantastic camaraderie, always willing to praise each other’s work and recognise a job well done.
“This year, the team has been through a monumental change, which could easily have overwhelmed them. They have moved from their base of 15 years, transferred over to the council’s parks service and seen their work remit increase, so that they now work across all of our 190+ parks and green spaces in Leicester.
“The scale of change they have embraced and overcome this year is awe-inspiring. The team, their parents and carers have all worked really closely with us to make the transition a success. They have learnt new bus stops and routes, and still manage to attend work early each day. Their work remit has expanded to include grounds maintenance, cleaning, improvement and repair work tasks and they have embraced it all. I am very proud that they have won this award.”
Assistant city mayor responsible for parks, Cllr Vi Dempster, said: “This is very well deserved. This team has long made an outstanding contribution to our allotments in the city, digging over sites to prepare for new tenants, and helping those who are unwell to maintain their plots.
“Since moving over to the parks service they have started to undertake a huge array of tasks and it’s amazing how they have risen to the challenge. Their enthusiasm is infectious and I’m delighted that they have won this award.”
The Keep Britain Tidy Network Conference and Awards bring together local authorities from across England to recognise the very best in environmental work. With only three councils shortlisted in each category from around 100 entries, competition is strong, making this win even more special.
Delighted amenities team manager, Arron Barrett, said: “This award means the world to the team. It recognises not just the hard work they do, but the way they look after each other. They’ve faced change, pressure and personal loss together, and through it all they’ve stayed positive, professional and proud of what they deliver for Leicester. I couldn’t be prouder of them; this is completely deserved.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “Our Network Awards act as the national showcase to recognise and celebrate the ground-breaking achievements of teams and individuals, offering a powerful opportunity for local authority teams to highlight their success and environmental leadership across key categories.”
The team has been invited to an afternoon tea to celebrate their success, with Cllr Dempster and the Lord Mayor of Leicester, on 11 March.
ENDS