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A University of Nottingham student has been named ‘Young Person of the Year’ at the BIG10 awards, in recognition of the amazing contribution that she has made to her local community and to Nottingham as a whole.
Giselle Kennedy, who is working towards a joint honours degree in American Studies and English Studies, won the award for the time and effort she has spent to help set up and run a Peace Garden on the Lenton Recreation Ground with local charity Sprout.
Giselle also raised over £500 towards the set up costs for the garden, which is intended to promote community cohesion between students and local residents, and provide a beautiful habitat for wildlife.
The project has been a success, with over 50 volunteers having already been involved, while produce from the garden is being used by the Crocus community cafe in a number of vegetarian dishes. Plans are also now in place to hold a Peace Festival in the garden, while Lenton’s “Green Gym” is hoping to use the space to introduce people to the idea of gardening for fitness.
After receiving her award from Nottingham City Council’s Amy Goulden, Giselle said: “The Peace Garden is really beginning to develop and grow. Winning the award meant so much to me. In a world where students and young people are often ignored, or denigrated as a nuisance, it was good to know that the Partnership Council truly value the contribution we make towards social cohesion in our local area.
“I’m very pleased with my trophy and certificate, but I’m even more proud of all the people that helped me implement the Peace Garden. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
This was the third annual BIG10 Awards ceremony, held by Hyson Green based charity the Partnership Council. This year the Oscars style awards ceremony took place at The Indian Community Centre Association, and was hosted by TV’s very own “eco-queen”, Penney Poyzer.
Ruth Greenberg, Chief Officer of the Partnership Council added: “The evening really highlighted how much Nottingham owes to volunteers in terms of the contribution they’re making to our neighbourhoods. I’m delighted that the BIG10 Awards go some way to recognising and rewarding what’s happening in communities all around Nottingham. We should all be celebrating the work being done by volunteers, not just once a year, but every day.”
The Peace Garden Committee is now hoping that more volunteers will get involved to help with planting, digging and watering, as well as essential committee work.
Anybody who wishes to volunteer in the garden or to act as the Committee’s accountant should email Giselle at: gisykenny@hotmail.com.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as “the nearest Britain has to a truly global university”, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news
Facts and figures at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/facts/factsandfigures.aspx
The Partnership Council is a community charity based in Radford, Nottingham, which helps local people and those living in other areas of the city. The council set up Sprout is an environmental organisation set up by the Partnership Council to help 16-25 year olds to start their own eco-projects. To find out more about the Awards or Sprout, please visit http://www.partnershipcouncil.co.uk/ or contact Ruth Greenberg orGeorge Moulson on 0115 970 8200 or email ruth@partnershipcouncil.co.ukor george@partnershipcouncil.co.uk