Meet the three finalists:
Annette Shaw
Parish: St Saviour
Nominated by: Pamela Karimjee
What would it mean to you to win a Pride of Jersey award?
‘Now that is a difficult one for me. I am not sure I am the person who should be receiving such an award, but if I did win I would be very honoured and proud to accept it.
‘It would make me proud to win not just for me but for all the people I know that look out for each other every day.
‘It is nothing special what I do, I am just being neighbourly and thinking of others. We do what we can when needed.’
What does it mean to you to have been nominated for a Pride of Jersey award and to have received the backing of the public to reach the final three?
Monday: Meet the finalists in the Angel of the Year and Grandparent of the Year categories
‘When Pam told me that she had nominated me I must admit at first I said, “No, why did you do that?”. I don’t deserve or require any recognition for being a friend and neighbour. But then once my photo appeared in the JEP I could not believe the amount of people who recognised me.
‘People were coming up to me at work, in the street, and in church to say, “Well done, we see you have been acknowledged in the JEP for being a good neighbour”. I was slightly embarrassed as it’s not something I had expected at all.
‘Now obviously people have been voting for me and my family say they are very proud. I must say it is a good feeling but I will not let it go to my head. I was brought up in Glasgow and have always known neighbours to be there for our family, and vice-versa, when they are needed.
‘My mum, who is going to be 90, still has the most wonderful neighbours who call in on her and do what they can. This gives me peace of mind knowing that they are looking out for her.
‘This is no different to what my husband and I do for Pam. With families now being spread all over the world neighbours
and friends are very important people as they are close by to help in any small way they
can.
‘Would it not be a much nicer community if more people looked out for each other? I think it would.’
John and Marion Andre
Parish: St Helier
Nominated by: Samantha O’Driscoll
Nominator: Samantha O’Driscoll
What was it about John and Marion Andre that made you want to nominate them for a Pride of Jersey award?
‘Over the many years that we have been neighbours with Marion and John they have made many selfless acts to help the people who live around them time and time again. They are truly there for everybody around our neighbourhood and in our community. They will drop everything and anything at the last minute to help people out.
‘Marion and John have given unconditional support to many in the community and expect nothing more than a simple thanks. Day to day they will always ask how you are and you know where they are if you need them.
‘I have nominated Marion and John for a Pride of Jersey Award because our community would be lost without them. They dropped everything to look after my children when I was going into labour. They are an asset to our community.’
Nominees: John and Marion Andre
What would it mean to you to win a Pride of Jersey award?
‘Basically we would be amazed. We were so shocked to be nominated and it would fabulous for us as a couple and it would be amazing for our families who are very proud. It would make us so proud too.
‘We do not think we are any more special than anyone else. We do what we can when we can and we never expected anything in return.
‘We are just trying to be a nice member of the community. There is no space for nastiness in this world.’
What does it mean to you to have been nominated for a Pride of Jersey award and to have received the backing of the public to reach the final three?
‘It is phenomenal we cannot even put it into words. It is a great honour for us for doing what we see as just day-to-day help but we would like to thank everybody who voted for us, we are very humbled.
‘It is really great for us. I couldn’t believe it when we made the final three. I just can’t imagine strangers voting for us, it is really great.’
Kate Lamy
Parish: St Saviour
Nominated by: Wilfred Bennett
What would it mean to you to win a Pride of Jersey award?
‘I would be delighted to win this category as it is such a pleasure to help out my lovely neighbour, Mr Bennett. We have been neighbours for 23 years, and he and his wife, Sheila, have watched my two daughters grow up. We always had a cheery chat over the fence and we would quite often find bags of fresh veg from his garden or cut roses hanging on our fence.
‘The times we did spend over a cup of tea, I found fascinating listening to their stories of their youth and time during the Occupation and their time living in Queen’s Valley before it was flooded. Mr Bennett took the time to show my daughters how to pick beans and cut roses and would quite often give them any seedling he had left over to plant in our garden. One Christmas Eve he dressed up as Father Christmas and knocked on our door with a sack full of gifts.
‘In 2012, when Sheila died, Mr Bennett did well coping with his grief. But, as time went on, his health deteriorated and he was admitted into hospital three times in as many months with a failing heart condition. With both his son and daughter living in Australia at the time, the doctors talked about putting Mr Bennett into a home. I did not want to lose him as my neighbour and so we set out to keep him at home.
‘After talking to him I realised his heart condition had made him weak and unable to stand for any length of time and so he could not prepare food. He wasn’t having any hot food and so this was making him weaker. I started taking a plate of home-cooked food across every day. This way, he had someone to check on him every day and was eating hot food.
‘As the months went on he regained strength and confidence and started going back to bowls and seeing friends. I think this generation is marvellous, especially those that survived the Occupation, and a little care and time spent with them works wonders for both sides. Sometimes we are blessed with special people in our lives and it is worth going that extra mile for them.’
What does it mean to you to have been nominated for a Pride of Jersey award and to have received the backing of the public to reach the final three?
‘I was very touched when Mr Bennett told me he had nominated me. I thought it was just wonderful that he had even considered it, let alone actually filled in the form. To have had the public vote for me and make it into the top three is just awesome. Everyone who has been nominated look like they all do wonderful things for their neighbours.’
BEING an estate agent, Thompson Estates is perfectly placed to partner with the JEP on the Neighbour of the Year award.
Director Margaret Thompson said: ‘We chose Neighbour of the Year because we do come into contact with a lot of neighbours, and that is very reassuring. We have sold houses to everyone from first-time buyers to the elderly and I can say that I have seen neighbours that have popped in with dinners for elderly neighbours or popped to the shops for them. It’s so important to have a neighbour who is concerned about their neighbours.
‘I think the community in Jersey is very special. It’s not too big so we know the members of our community and neighbours are key to that.
‘As you go through life, you start with nothing. We are privileged to have such a good standard of living in Jersey and the most important lesson is that life is about giving.You have to remember that we are here to learn how to live together happily, and I think giving is very much part of that.
