Good Neighbour Award

September 2021 Groby’s David Hartridge has won the Good Neighbour category in the LeicestershireLive Heroes Awards 2021. The awards, which were headline sponsored by The Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner recognise individuals from all walks of life that inspire with their acts of bravery, determination and selflessness. The Good Neighbours category was sponsored by emh group, one of the largest providers of affordable homes and care & support services in the East Midlands and known in Groby for the Hello Homes development completed last year.

Categories targeted contributions throughout the community from volunteers and people such as the emergency services, healthcare heroes, and of course Good Neighbours. Three finalists were shortlisted within each category by the judging panel, and the winners were announced at the awards at the King Power Stadium on Thursday, September 23, 2021.

Long links with Groby

David has had connections with Groby for more than 60 years. His parents moved to the White Cottage, Whitehouse Close in Groby, in 1959, at a time when it was surrounded by fields and accessed through three gates. After marriage in 1968 he and his his wife lived in Markfield and had three children. When the family went abroad in 1976 he managed their Bahrain quantity surveying office for four years, moving back to Groby in 1980.

As part of the judging process he was interviewed by Kemal Yildirim, who is an award winning independent filmmaker nominated to become an Ambassador of Northampton due to his filmmaking contribution. A video of the interview was shown at the award ceremony.

David sought out the best advice he could find in the village as part of the opposition to a mobile phone mast on Pymm Ley Lane, and it is his energy and persistence in dealing with this challenge which led to his nomination for the 2021 award, as his other voluntary work was greatly reduced by the arrival of Covid -19. “I was nominated for this Award for leading the ‘Move the Mast’ campaign and that is what the neighbours wrote about,” explained David.

His other community involvement

But, as significant as this is, his community involvement goes much further, and although it may not have been relevant to this year’s award, there is more to be said. For example, many Leicestershire residents will have benefited from his work over the years as a volunteer driver role for Loros.

Before Covid-19 this involved

• 
  bringing in out-patients for appointments and day-therapy classes,
  

• bringing in visitors,
  

• delivering equipment and/or medications to out-patients,
  

• taking patients for X-Rays at the LRI, Glenfield or the General hospitals,
  

• transporting LOROS staff to lectures at hospitals or to out-patients,
  

• delivering LOROS information to Health Centres throughout Leicestershire & Rutland,
  

• delivering/collecting collection boxes to various establisnments throughout the County,
  

• taking goods to the LOROS stores or shops,
  

• collecting unwanted flowers from supermarkets who donate them to LOROS
  

• and carrying out 'last wishes' like collecting fresh salmon or a packet of cigarettes for a a patient.
  

COVID reduced the workload and as not all the services are up and running yet he is back in a reduced capacity at the moment. He has delivered equipment and serviced the new Snack Van they have purchased: filling up the water containers, filling the generators and the van with petrol and generally making sure it is ready for its next outing. As he lives close by, he is called upon for any last minute jobs that need a driver.

Helping children with cerebal palsy

Other community work includes the table cricket he has been involved with at Grace Road for children with cerebal palsy, and the Whatsapp Group set up in his Close collecting medications, going shopping and generally being there for those shielded during Covid.

Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator

If that isn’t enough one shouldn’t forget his work as a local Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator. He has also contributed to The Spotlight, your local community magazine, writing about the days before the new estates arrived, the days when the Martinshaw Shopping Parade was dominated by shops, as well as his more recent contributions about the mobile phone mast.

Sometimes David gets things wrong. Before the judging he told the Spotlight “I'm sure there are more worthy cases than me,” but clearly the Judges didn’t agree with him and he now has a plaque and a framed certificate.

Overwhelmed at winning

He was rather overwhelmed at winning the award. “There were no acceptance responses at the Awards ceremony,” he said “but if I had been allowed to speak at the Ceremony I would have dedicated it to the Groby Community and my lovely daughter and neighbours in particular, who nominated me. With regards to the mast planning application we mustn’t forget the support we had from Councillors Martin Cartwright and Ozzie O’Shea, ex-councillor Peter Batty and Edward Agar, our Member of Parliament. And also Norman Griffiths, and Mike Wilkinson, the editor of the Groby Spotlight, who enabled us to take the campaign into every home in the village.”

“I set up the strategy and analysed the Application detail in order to make the village aware of what this 'Mast intrusion' meant.” he added. “But it was the Community who enabled the campaign to be a success by coming together in great numbers to object. It was a wonderful example of 'People Power' and I thank them very much for what they did, which culminated in this special Award"