Vale of Glamorgan Mayor and Deputy Mayor Launch Unsung Heroes Campaign to Celebrate Volunteers
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan have proudly launched a new community initiative titled Unsung Heroes aimed at recognising and celebrating the extraordinary contributions of local volunteers.
The campaign will shine a monthly spotlight on individuals and groups who selflessly dedicate their time and effort to enrich the lives of those in their communities.
Kicking off the campaign, this month’s spotlight falls on the dedicated gardener John Davies who lovingly cares for the community garden at Ogmore-by-Sea Hall.
John explained: “I live locally here in Ogmore-by-Sea, the community garden has been here for nearly two years now, it was pretty rough and overgrown before. All the plants that you see now on the bank were donated by the village.
“I love gardening, I love creating things, and I love creating new spaces, which is what we’ve done here. I won’t be able to keep this up forever, and it would be really nice for people to take it over, especially young people.”
Cllr Naomi Marshallsea, Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan, said: “We are trying to celebrate those Unsung Heroes of the Vale, who give up their time and energy not just occasionally, but day-in, day-out.
“John tends to the garden every morning at six o’clock, working hard to make this space for the entire community, and he is also looking for other people to help him.
“As the Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan, I want to be able to say thank you to the people who are on the ground, helping out and making community where they live."
Cllr Carys Stallard, Deputy Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan, said: “Volunteering is so important, especially as we rely heavily on our volunteers in so many ways.
“John has done such amazing work at the community garden, and we thought this was a good place to start our Unsung Heroes campaign. We want to celebrate volunteers, and we want to encourage more people to volunteer too.”