He said that so much good work is done by so many organisations in Jersey that it is extremely difficult for the award judges to select a shortlist, let alone the final winners.
However, in spite of the intensity of competition, three very worthy winners were identified and, on Tuesday, presented with cash and voucher prizes that will help them to maintain and extend their programmes of activity in the fields of charity, education and sport.
The Island Heroes scheme – now an annual event – is run in conjunction with the Jersey Evening Post, whose readers have the final say on who the winners should be. Thousands of readers voted, so the three winners can, with full justification, regard themselves as the popular choices.
In the charity category, Holiday for Heroes Jersey took the prize, having been recognised for bringing injured service personnel to the Island to relax and recuperate.
The £10,000 the organisation received in cash and travel vouchers will help its organisers to reach their goal of raising £100,000 to provide 200 holiday breaks.
Success in the education category was achieved by St John Ambulance’s Young Carers, which offers support to young Islanders who look after physically or mentally disabled parents or siblings. They will use their £10,000 prize to fund respite trips to the UK.
The sporting category was won by the Jersey Learning Difficulties football team. The team will, thanks to their prize, be able to enter the Harrogate Tournament in the UK for the next two years.
Each of the winning entries deserves the heartiest congratulations. So, too, do the organisations which reached the shortlist. It should not be forgotten that making it through to that stage of the awards is, in itself, an achievement.
Meanwhile, Flybe must be thanked not only for great generosity, but for their sponsorship of a scheme which does so much to highlight the quiet dedication of so many Islanders who work in so many worthwhile areas with no thought of personal reward.
