Inspiring stories and local heroes
honoured at the Suffolk Community Awards 2025
The winners of this year’s Suffolk Community Awards were presented and celebrated at the Food Museum in Stowmarket last night (Tuesday 23rd September 2025).
Individuals, teams, groups, charities and communities were honoured and applauded, in an occasion jointly staged by Community Action Suffolk (CAS), Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC).
A total of 17 awards were presented on the night, following a summer of judging which saw a record breaking 255 nominations painstakingly assessed by representatives from the trio of organising bodies.
The venue was packed out with award sponsors, local councillors, and of course the winners and representatives from the awarded organisations and charities who were acknowledged for their hard work and success over the past year. Guests were welcomed with refreshments to the sound of a local quartet who were set up in the picturesque grounds at the Food Museum and the Awards were presented by well-known Suffolk broadcaster Mark Murphy MBE.
The accolades were collated into three main categories on the night: Community Awards, Young People Awards and Volunteering Awards.
The awards highlighted the breadth of community action in Suffolk from individual volunteers, young people, councils, faith groups and more, plus a new award which celebrated one community’s climate response of the year.
Holbrook Parish Council were the worthy winners of the new climate response of the year in recognition of their efforts to establish the Greener Holbrook Greener World group in 2023, which has worked to encourage local climate action and awareness. Working alongside the council, the group has helped embed sustainability into decision-making, from considering biodiversity in planning to initiatives such as tree planting, hedgehog highways, LED street lighting, and community events. Their Climate Action Plan continues to evolve and is reviewed annually.
Also awarded on the night was Lesley Hill, who took the title of Councillor of the Year, she said:
"To receive the news that I had been nominated and selected as the winer for Councillor of the Year came as a complete surprise.
I am delighted and honoured to receive this award as a member of Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council. I take the role of Councillor and Mayor very seriously as a representative of our community.
I also accept this award on behalf of my fellow councillors who contribute to the work in the community."
This year’s Andrew Towers Award was proudly presented to Harli Dixon, whose inspiring story deeply touched the audience. Presented by Norman and Glenys Towers, the award recognised Harli’s remarkable dedication in raising £24,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice over the past three years, in memory of her late mother.
Mark O’Reilly from Newmarket received the Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering Award for 25 years of dedicated service with the New Astley Amateur Boxing Club, while an additional award was also presented this year to a rather special recipient – Robbie the horse. Accepting the Exceptional Community Volunteering Award on his behalf was his owner, Sarah Hill. Robbie has been recognised for a decade of dedicated service with the Suffolk constabulary, promoting positive community engagement, and playing a valuable role in rural crime prevention.
Only its third year as an award category, the Faith Award received a record number of nominations, with the honour on the night going to Ipswich-based charity Tools with a Mission. Celebrated for their outstanding work, the charity collects and refurbishes unwanted tools, preventing nearly 400 tonnes of waste from entering landfill each year. Their efforts provide valuable volunteering opportunities in Suffolk while supporting over 600 organisations worldwide, equipping people with the tools to transform their lives and communities.
Meanwhile, Lee Maddox of Bardwell Village in West Suffolk, received the Suffolk Good Neighbour Award in recognition of his commitment and passion in organising a tractor run fundraiser. His efforts raised £15,000, providing vital support to five local families who had lost their homes in a recent fire.
The full list of winners are as follows:
Most Active Village
Winner:
Great Barton
Highly Commendation: Crowfield
Most Active Town
Winner: Framlingham
Village Hall & Community Building Award
Winner: Gosbeck Village Hall
The Faith Award
Winner: Tools with a Mission
Ian Campbell MBE Award
Winner: Greg Deeks
Colonel Probert Award
Winner:
Suffolk Sound Radio
Councillor of the Year
Winner: Lesley Hill
Highly commended: Peter Fisk
Clerk of the Year
Winner: Colin Poole
Highly commended: Joanna Abbott
Council of the Year
Joint Winners: Haverhill Town Council and Saxmundham Town Council
Climate Response of the Year
Winner: Holbrook Parish Council
Andrew Towers Award Winner
Harli Dixon
Roddy Macleod Award
Winner: Level Two Youth Project
Anne Dunford OBE Award
Winner: Newmarket Detachment Army Cadet Force
Suffolk
Good Neighbour Award
Winner: Lee Maddox
Event Organiser of the Year
Winner: The Rotary Club of Bury St Edmunds
Special Award for Exceptional Community Volunteering
Winner:
Robbie & Sarah Hills
Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering Award
Winner:
Mark O’Reilly
Hannah Reid, Chief Executive of Community Action Suffolk, said:
“The awards are the big occasion for acknowledging our unsung volunteer heroes, and the organisations that selflessly do so much more to improve the lives of others.
They more than deserve the accolade. In the backdrop to this, it’s important to remember that across Suffolk there are many more volunteers that are constantly active in our communities. Week in week out, they go about helping where it’s needed.
They are all winners and deserve thanks. In today’s climate, we need more of them.”
Councillor Richard Smith MVO, Cabinet member for Finance, Economic Development and skills attended the event on behalf of Suffolk County Council. He said:
“It was a pleasure to attend the Suffolk Community Awards and hear the inspiring stories of people and groups making such a positive impact across the county.
“Congratulations to all the winners and nominees for their outstanding contributions Suffolk.”
