Bury Free Press Community Awards: Wholesaler hopes to find ‘Food Heroes’
The operations director of a Rougham-based food and drink wholesaler hopes people will vote in the wide ranging category his business is sponsoring again this year.
Brought to you by the Bury Free Press, in association with Bury St Edmunds Town Council, the awards give residents the chance to nominate those they think have contributed to improving the town over the past year.
Thomas Ridley, with more than 200 years in the industry, became first-time sponsors at the awards last year, by taking on the Community Food Hero category.
Mark Murphy said: “The community awards provide a great platform to celebrate good work and unsung heroes, and Thomas Ridley really enjoyed attending the event for the first time last year.
“We were really impressed with the community awards last time around, the stories shared on the night and the mix of people celebrated.
“Community Food Hero is a great category and we are excited to see who is nominated this year.”
Last year, Thomas Ridley, which started as a business in 1808 and employs more than 250 local people, presented the award to Still Good Food.
The community food waste project run by volunteers operates by providing surplus food that is still good but perhaps close to its expiry date, dented, or bruised to those in need – which reduces food waste, carbon footprint, and helps those struggling with the cost of living.
The 10 awards this year are Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Best Event by a Community Group, Good Deed, Everybody Needs Good Neighbours, Eco-Friendly, Best Community Group, Community Food Hero, Charity of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.
Asked what he would say to people about voting for the Community Food Hero, Mark said: “This is quite a broad category, so definitely think outside the box and do not be shy about putting your nomination forward.”
To nominate for your community heroes, click here.
The award winners will be announced at the town’s Guildhall, on September 12.
