The Mayor’s Awards, an annual event, was held Sunday 30th April at St John Church to recognise the hard work and dedication shown by the residents of Weston-super-Mare towards their fellow citizens. The awards were presented by The Mayor of Weston-super-Mare, Councillor Sonia Russe. 

Award winners:

The Boost Academy, founded by Lisa Mensah, was awarded the Borough Award. The Academy offers Alternative Provision in Education, which provides individualised and flexible educational and behavioural learning opportunities for young people with special needs in and around Weston-super-Mare. Since its inception 3.5 years ago, the Academy has helped educate 110 students and currently has 48 attending each day. The Mayor commended Lisa Mensah and her staff for their dedication and inspiring approach towards some of the most challenging youngsters from the community.

Elsie Payton was awarded the Mayors Award for her outstanding contributions as a veteran fundraiser. Elsie has raised significant sums for the Weston Hospice, the BRI Children’s Unit, and the Weston Hospital. Her fundraising efforts have exceeded over £60k, and some support has come from her Swiss connections inspired by her mountain climbing at the age of 75. However, most of the support has come from her Spiritual and Well Being sessions held mainly at The Royal Hotel, which has allowed all the monies raised to go directly to support the health and welfare of many people living and working in Weston-super-Mare.

Eve Lauder was awarded the Mayor’s Award for her outstanding drive and positive attitude towards life, despite the personal challenges she has stoically endured over several years. Eve has a rare cancer condition, but she has raised over £30k for cancer research, which will benefit sufferers throughout the UK. The Mayor recounted her experience of having lunch with Eve in February when she was having a good day, and they laughed and laughed. She commended Eve’s drive in making every good day count and stated that Eve has a way of remaining in their hearts, which is the beauty of Eve.

The Mayor congratulated all the winners and expressed her appreciation for their outstanding contributions towards the community. She commended the Boost Academy, Elsie Payton, and Eve Lauder for their exemplary dedication and inspiring work towards the betterment of the community.