It’s time to vote…..
Each year the Guernsey Press hold the Pride of Guernsey Awards and seek nominations in many categories to recognise the amazing individuals and groups we have in our island.
We have many Brethren from the Province of Guernsey and Alderney that do so much for our community and this years awards there are now four Brethren nominated and whom you can now vote for to shortlist the finalists in the awards with the links below
W. Bro. Robert Steen has been nominated in the Customer Service of the Year Award and here are a few words about the nomination –
Rob ‘nothing is too much trouble’ Steen has been nominated for his exemplary customer service.
Despite it being his eighth nomination since 2016, when Pride of Guernsey was first established, he was no less enthusiastic.
‘I’m thrilled, I’m absolutely cock-a-hoop,’ he said.
‘We do our best to look after people, and I’ve got so many friends from the business now.’
Rob said that he has known some of his customers for years, and now they bring their own children to wherever Rob has set up shop.
He started the Patois Tea Room, found in the grounds of Sausmarez Manor, in between lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.
At Rob’s tea-room, there is ‘always the warmest of welcomes, no matter what the weather or how busy he is,’ said his nominator Phil Collinson.
‘He is a champion of all things Guernsey, and is a walking, talking information centre to tourists, and in fact locals too.
‘Local produce is served always with a smile and stories of old – this award would be just deserved for Robert.
‘Nothing is too much trouble should be his middle name.’
The second nomination is Bro Sergio Henriques in the Angel of the Year Award and his write up says –
GUERNSEY’s longest-serving Emergency Department nurse Sergio Henriques has been nominated for Angel of the Year.
Sergio has been helping people for a decade at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital and primary care doctor, Dr Silvana McCaffrey, felt that his dedication and kind heart should be recognised in the Pride of Guernsey.
‘Every day he demonstrates compassion and understanding for the patients, their families and his colleagues in the department and in other fields such as primary care out of hours,’ Dr McCaffrey said.
‘Recently Sergio popped home to grab some of his own clothes to give to a homeless man whose clothes were badly soiled – this is above and beyond his duties and shows that he sees the person and their suffering beneath any exterior factors.’
Dr McCaffrey added that Sergio always checks in and will work alongside her ‘for the benefit of the patients presenting to our departments’.
When told about his nomination, Sergio said he was ‘bowled over’. He said the job can be very hard, but equally very rewarding.
Bro Steve Byrne has been nominated in Diversity and Inclusion Award and his write up says –
Steve Byrne, manager of the GSPCA, has been nominated for the Diversity and Inclusion award.
His nominator had a bad accident in 2022 and was signed off from work for six months.
After that, they were then sent to the GSPCA where they were tasked with maintaining the grounds.
‘He has given me the chance in a year to prove how hard I can work and allowed me to learn things around the GSPCA which I thought I’d never learn, as I suffer with many things,’ said his nominator, who wishes to remain anonymous.
They suffer from autism, ADHD and anxiety, and the work at the GSPCA has really helped them.
‘But he had plenty of patience and it’s been a journey since last April 2023 to learn and watch what the team have been doing.
‘It’s like a big family where we all help each other, but Steve has been a great boss.’
Since then they have moved on to answering night-time calls, picking up the injured animals, learning and helping out in the animal hospital.
The nominator is thankful to Steve for giving them ‘the opportunity to show what I can do.’
Finally W. Bro Steve Byrne has been nominated in Sustainability Hero of the Year Award and his write up says –
Petit Bot valley’s famous beauty has a lot to owe to the efforts of Will Roger.
‘I’m not the expert, I’m just the workhorse,’ Mr Roger said.
Nominated for the Sustainability Hero of the Year award by his lifelong friend, Dave Gorvel, Mr Roger has been watching over and cultivating Petit Bot’s ecosystem for nearly two decades, allowing for life and vegetation to flourish in the valley.
Many landowners in the area use him and his know-how to maintain up to 50 acres of the valley.
As the chairman of Guernsey Trees for Life he is deeply involved with the health of the island’s tree population and biodiversity.
‘With trees you can’t just let them grow, you’ve got to get involved,’ explained Mr Roger, highlighting that trees can’t just be planted anywhere, they have to be the right species in the right habitat.
Mr Roger’s work is not exclusive to Petit Bot, and he is involved in projects all over the island, including Le Guet.
He has been involved in rewilding areas of the island, using pigs to eat up the ivy to allow for new plants to grow through.
‘I think he’s contributed a huge amount to the island,’ Mr Gorvel said. ‘He’s planted thousands of trees, he’s maintaining paths and streams. Petit Bot has changed into a valley which looks very nice now.’
As mentioned watch out for when voting starts and to see more here are a few links.
To see the write up and vote for Steve please visit https://prideofguernsey.com/viewnom/347
To see the write up and vote for Sergio please visit https://prideofguernsey.com/viewnom/313
To see the write up and vote for Rob please visit https://prideofguernsey.com/viewnom/343
To see the write up for Will and vote please visit https://prideofguernsey.com/viewnom/463
