Members of Market Deeping-based Nene and Welland Oddfellows group win national Making a Difference Awards
A community-minded trio have been handed awards for their commitment to helping a friendship group thrive.
Barry Bedford, Jean Logan and Chris Sargent were selected as winners of the national Making a Difference Awards for their roles in the Market Deeping-based Nene and Welland Oddfellows group.
Barry, from Baston, has been a member of the branch of the not-for-profit group for almost 60 years. He won in the ‘Giving a Helping Hand’ category for his willingness and enthusiasm for being there for others.
The group’s welfare officer, Barry has given members lifts — whether that’s to and from events or to the shops. He also frequently checks in on people both over the phone and in person, and has assisted in all manner of DIY projects, including helping to clear driveways, repairing doors, gardening jobs and decorating rooms.
Barry said: “I do get a buzz out of helping people. If I come home and I say to my wife, ‘I’ve done so-and-so with them and I’ve painted a room and they’re happy with it’, I think I’ve done something useful.
“It’s the way I live my life and always have done and if that transforms into helping other people then I’m thankful.
“It’s wonderful winning a national award. I’m not only recognised around here but within the whole Society. I’m very proud of it.”
Bourne’s Jean was chosen as the winner in the ‘Enriching Lives Socially’ category — recognition of her role in providing a busy calendar of events for members as part of the social committee.
She said: “I’m an organiser. I always organise things. I’m always in the catering. I’m always in the kitchen.
“They always say to me, ‘we wish we had your energy’, and I say, ‘well I’m not giving it to anybody, sorry it’s mine!’”
Jean said it was a nice surprise to discover she had won the award, adding: “It was the fact that I was the overall winner. You’ve got so many Oddfellows branches all over the country and I end up as the overall winner.”
Chris, from Pinchbeck, took home the ‘Working in the Spirit of Mutuality’ trophy, which recognises her commitment to the Oddfellows and wider society.
Throughout her near-50 years of membership, Chris has held almost every formal volunteer position at her branch and represented Nene and Welland Oddfellows on regional and national committees.
She said: “The Oddfellows gives to me as much as I give to it. I’m 75 now. I’ve been retired 12 years, but I don’t know how I’d cope if I hadn’t got Oddfellowship to keep me going and all my friends in the Society.
“You get to know people. I’ve friends all over the country through Oddfellowship. I love it, absolutely love it.”
On winning the award, she added: “I was shocked because I didn’t know. It’s amazing. How proud was I that someone had thought I was worthy of it?”
They were handed trophies at the society’s annual conference in Scarborough on Tuesday May 20 — along with fellow group member Chris Sargent, from Pinchbeck near Spalding.
Nene and Welland Oddfellows is made up of 400 mostly older and retired local members and anyone is welcome to join. It is one of 96 branches that make up the Oddfellows’ nationwide network, which is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the UK.
Branch secretary Karen Earth said: “We were delighted to learn that not one, but three of our members had been chosen as winners of the Making a Difference Awards. They are a wonderful representation of the kind, caring and brilliant people we have here.
“A huge congratulations to Barry, Chris and Jean. We don’t know where we’d be without you.”
To find out more about Nene and Welland Oddfellows contact Karen via email on Karen.Earth@oddfellows.co.uk or call 01778 342 006 or visit www.oddfellows.co.uk.
