A village in the heart of North East Somerset will be recognised for its community activism and spirit in December at a special award ceremony.
 
Activists in Peasedown St John have been nominated in three categories of B&NES Council’s Chairman’s Community Awards 2009.

The village’s Youth Community Council has been nominated to win Volunteer Team of the Year.
 
The group, which was founded in 2007, has taken part in a wide range of events including tree planting, fund raising, and village clean-up days such as the successful ‘Big Clean Up’ in the spring when several tonnes of rubbish were cleared from a social-housing estate in the village.
 
One of its members is 16-year old Katie Madams. She said:
 
“What I really like about the Youth Community Council is that teenagers can have their say and try to make Peasedown a better place to live. It’s good that our views can be heard.”
 
The Youth Community Council has been nominated by local Councillor Nathan Hartley (Lib Dem). He said:
 
“Over the last two years our Youth Council has shown just how much they care about our village and have demonstrated a strong desire to really make a difference for themselves and their neighbours.
 
When youth workers and I founded the group in 2007, the purpose was two-fold. As well as building community spirit in our young people we also wanted to show older residents that tarring all teenagers with the same negative brush was unfair.
 
I do believe that two years on, both of these aims have been achieved.”
 
Also up for a prize is Peasedown resident Andy Hall – who has been nominated by Youth Worker Bridie Marshall in the Volunteer of the Year category.
 
Andy is one of the founding members of Peasedown’s new Community Farm. The 21-year-old has worked hard over the last 12 months to set up the project and has dreams to make it a resource and haven for the entire community.
 
Cllr Nathan Hartley added:
 
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Andy over the last year, and have been really impressed by his desire to give something back to the community.
 
It’s largely because of his commitment that work has now begun on site, and we’ve been instrumental in gaining support for the Farm from a wide range of organisations.
 
All of Andy’s work has been carried out in his own time, with no financial benefit to himself.”
 
College students Rebecca and Sarah Savine have also been nominated in the environmental category for their work on the Peasedown Pumpkin Project – a gardening initiative in the grounds of Peasedown Youth Centre.
 
The Chairman’s Community Awards 2009 will be held at the Guildhall, Bath, on Tuesday 8th December 2009.