On Friday the Rotary Club of Ballycastle held its first
President’s Night. Not only was it an
event to mark the end of a busy first year for the new Club but it saw the
handover of some funds to some very commendable causes including Good Morning Ballycastle, Redbay Lifeboat and
Friends of the Cancer Centre. The night
also provided a platform for the presentation of the Spirit of Moyle Awards.
The focus of the night was on the awards and the winners
themselves. President Brian Jamieson
explained the awards were something discussed very early on in the formation of
the Rotary Club and were heavily backed by all the members. The thinking behind
them was to have annual community based award where people who “went that extra
mile” for the area were given some recognition.
Jim Boylan from the Club was charged with overseeing the awards and
began the presentation on Friday night by clarifying the rationale behind them. Jim explained, “Our President Brian got the
awards up and running. In its initial
year we decided to create three categories to get things started. Thankfully we
received a lot of help from a wide range of local organisations and the press
to get the awards some publicity and much to our delight we received some
fantastic nominations. I, along with the
rest of the panel, had the daunting and ultimately humbling task of picking the
winners. Overall, the standard of the nominees was incredible. After much deliberation the panel felt three
very worthy winners stood out and we were over the moon to find out that they
were happy to accept their awards and receive a little recognition for the
fantastic work they do.”
This year’s winners were:
Scott Horner – Young Carer 2012
Scott is described as a wonderful young man who has quietly
been caring for his mother and father over the years while still fitting in all
the other day to day activities he has to do.
He has tirelessly been by their sides, helping where he can and it is
something his parents are both very proud of him for. He has also achieved very
well at Ballycastle High School and has excelled in sports as a boxer, hockey
player and captain and member of Ballycastle Rugby Club.
James McVicker – Young Volunteer 2012
James stood out to the panel as someone who has been
involved in a vast number of groups and organisations including Exodus, Mencap,
Spirit of Enniskillen and Greenlight Gateway in a wide variety of volunteering
capacities. He has time and time again went
out of his way to help others and given up his own time to help others and again
manages to fit it around his busy school work and social life.
Martin McGuile – Community Champion 2012
Martin is a familiar face within the town and his volunteer
work with young musicians is something that a lot of people are not aware
of. He has spent a lot of time working
and mentoring people young and old, helping them become and better themselves
as musicians. He has nurtured their
interest in music and given them something to focus on. Like the other winners he too has done this
for a long time and just “gets on with it”.
Jim also noted, “What stood out in all three winners was
that the work they do tends to go on without there being much spotlight on
it. They quietly go about their lives
carrying out these admirable works without complaining or seeking any special
attention and that is exactly what we hoped to recognise.”
The Club would like to thank all those who helped with the
Spirit of Moyle Awards including all those who took the time to nominate, the
independent judge Patrick Casement and of course the nominees and winners
themselves. Winners of the Young Carer
and Young Volunteer were presented with certificates, cinema vouchers and a
glass plaque each while the Community Champion received a certificate, glass
plaque and a special cup donated by President Brian Jamieson. The Spirit of
Moyle Awards 2012 were sponsored by Choices International Properties, the
certificates were kindly printed by Causeway Volunteer Centre and the glass plaques
were designed by Kingfisher Designs.
Check out our Facebook for photos of the night!
https://www.facebook.com/ballycastle.rotary
https://www.facebook.com/BallycastleRotaryClub
Check out our Facebook for photos of the night!
https://www.facebook.com/ballycastle.rotary
https://www.facebook.com/BallycastleRotaryClub