A group of residents who are rejuvenating Wales’s most northerly town have been honoured for their dedication by a police poss.
Caru Amlwch came together last year to revive the town and now they’ve won the Community Champions title in the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Awards.
They were presented with the trophy by Commissioner Arfon Jones at a special ceremony at the Kinmel Manor Hotel when he paid tribute to their contribution to the town.
The aim of the awards is to recognise people who help police to keep their neighbourhood or town a peaceful and safe place to live and work and who help in rehabilitating offenders.
Caru Amlwch were nominated by Benllech-based Police Community Safety Officer Iona Beckman who said: “I have never seen such a committed group of residents wanting to improve the quality of life and safety in their community.
“The group consists of every age from the young to the elderly and all from a variety of backgrounds. I am so proud of them and how they are supporting us totally in our work.
“Through their hard work and commitment they are improving the resilience of the town, creating new and innovative opportunities in their area, contributing towards community safety and assisting us in preventing crime.”
Caru Amlwch Chair Llinos Williams said: “Nine of us got together last July because we were concerned that not much was happening in the town and so we put together a business plan.
“Everything we do is aimed at improving the well-being of the people of Amlwch and that includes trying to get allotments here, appointing Estate Champions to represent their areas of the town and starting our own community awards which was very successful.
“It was held in the Memorial Hall and all the awards had local sponsors and there was an excellent turnout with all the proceeds going towards a special wheelchair for a 13-year-old girl from Amlwch, Naomi Cooper, who has a degenerative disease but who has joined a wheelchair basketball club.”
She said that the Estate Champions project was generating ideas and suggestions, including involving young people in intergenerational projects, educating the elderly about cold callers and cleaning up the town’s sheltered accommodation.
Caru Amlwch has recently secured a £6,000 grant for resources and play items for the town’s parks and to help for children with disabilities and Iona Beckman added: “Caru Amlwch really go that extra mile to achieve results and the improvements in the parks will help us reduce anti-social behaviour there and on the town’s estates.
“One of the reasons I became a PCSO so to help make communities feel safe and to have such wonderful support means we can work together in making our communities happy and safe places to live in.”
Commissioner Jones, a former police inspector, felt it was important to recognise the efforts of often unsung heroes in the community.
He said: “One thing all our winners have in common is that they make North Wales a better and safer place to live and work.
“There are many selfless people who do a lot of good in the community by helping North Wales Police and these silent workers go way beyond anybody else to make a contribution and ensure their communities are safe.
“In the overwhelming number of cases, this a personal commitment made without expectation of any kind of reward or recognition.
“This awards ceremony is an opportunity to recognise the unstinting efforts these unsung heroes and heroines and to encourage others to follow their good example.”
