The good citizens who could win a top award (From Droitwich Advertiser)

The good citizens who could win a top award

4:30pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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THREE youngsters from Pershore who have made an outstanding contribution to their community are a step closer to winning a prestigious prize.

Twin sisters Michelle and Lauren Clarke and Daniel Hart have beaten off stiff competition to reach the final of the Good Citizen Awards.

The awards, organised by West Mercia Police, are presented annually in partnership with local education authorities to recognise young people aged 18 and under who have made an outstanding contribution to their community in the last year Twenty-five young people from across Worcestershire were nominated for their acts of generosity, displays of community spirit or acts of outstanding courage that have made a difference to other people’s lives.

At a ceremony at Worcestershire County Hall, they were all hailed as good citizens for acts of outstanding citizenship.

However, Michelle and Lauren Clarke, both aged 18, and Daniel Hart, aged 17, who are all Pershore High School pupils, were selected to go forward to the final in October and be in with a chance of being named Good Citizen of the Year 2009. They are up against three youngsters from Redditch.

Michelle and Lauren Clarke visited Zambia last year as part of a Global Schools Partnership and helped raise more than £8,000 to bring nine Zambian students back to Pershore in June. They also raised £500 for litter picking in the community. Both are young leaders for the Guides.

Daniel Hart is secretary of Interact, a fund-raising group at Pershore High School, and is also a member of St John Ambulance Cadets. He has achieved the Level 1 British Sign Language Award and helps regularly at a crèche at Pershore Baptist Church. He is currently completing the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and has also raised money this year for Children in Need and Comic Relief.

Chief Inspector Gerry Reakes-Williams, who leads local policing in south Worcestershire and judged the nominations, said: “It’s important to recognise that these nominees are only a snapshot of the good work being done by young people across Worcestershire.

“The portrayal in the media of young people can be quite negative, but there’s a huge amount of good being done out there by thousands of young people who want to make a contribution. It’s a shame that this does not always get recognised, but the Good Citizen Awards are a way of trying to redress this.”

Mr Reakes-Williams said it was hard to choose the finalists. He said: “The nominations selected were of a very high standard and had done so much – they should proud of what they have achieved.

“A lot of people have been touched by their kindness and hard work throughout the year.”

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