News

THE achievements of some of the island’s local young people were recognised this evening at the inaugural Guernsey Youth Service Awards.

Four youngsters were presented with awards in various different categories, and another seven were named as runners-up at the gala evening, which was sponsored by Guernsey Electricity.

Mel Walsh, who has been a volunteer with the Youth Service’s detached project for the past three years, was presented with a special Ambassador for Guernsey Youth award. The 20-year-old spends two evenings a week helping with the outreach programme, visiting estates around the island to meet young people.

Also earlier this year, she and a friend raised £7,000 to fund a trip to Peru, where they spent four months working in an orphanage.

Joe Raleigh, 18, won the Guernsey Press-sponsored Voice of Youth Award, for his work as chairman of the local Youth Forum.

The Grammar sixth former has been an influential leader on the forum’s executive committee, which for the first time has taken on responsibility for preparing its own agendas, format and activities. He also showed his leadership skills as managing director of a Young Enterprise company last year.

The Making a Difference award went to 25-year-old nanny Jill Mathews, who helped keep the popular St Stephen’s brownie unit going when the previous Brown Owl retired. Also an assistant at the 5th Guernsey Vale pack, devoting a lot of her spare time to Girlguiding.

She received the Booby Le Vasseur Memorial Award.

The Guernsey Electricity Triumph Over Adversity award went to Mike Ellis. Although a disruptive pupil himself, since leaving school the 17-year-old has found a rare talent for helping less able students. He is a volunteer for the Guernsey Specials Gym Club, and the You Can Do it Foundation, working with children who have learning or mobility difficulties.

Last year he spent a week accompanying a party of youngsters to special activity centre in the UK.

Youth Forum members Alex Link and Jon Brown, both 16 were named runners-up in the Voice of Youth category. Blanchelande pupils Hannah Ellis, 17, Natalie Le Noury, 16, and Jennifer Lindfield, 15, were runners-up for the making a Difference Award.

Steve Martel, 22, and Julian Craker, 23, were also runners-up in the Triumph Over Adversity.

Dave Le Feuvre, Head of the Guernsey Youth Service, said that as well as providing recognition of individual achievements, the awards highlighted the excellent contribution that many young people are making.

‘There are an incredible number of young people in Guernsey who make a really important and valuable contribution to the island. Sadly they do not always get the recognition they deserve, so that is what these awards will hopefully do,’ he said.