A LARGE number of Whitehill and Bordon residents were among the volunteers recognised at this year's East Hampshire Community Volunteering Awards. The ceremony, on May 2, was organised by Community First East Hampshire and presided over by district council chairman Pam Bradford. County councillor Adam Carew, who nominated some of the volunteers, said: "We have so many people in Whitehill and Bordon who freely give much of their time to our town. "Without them, our community simply would not function and it is only right their hard work and dedication are officially recognised. "Some people are very dismissive of Whitehill and Bordon, but actually we have an amazing community spirit and an awful lot goes on here thanks to our volunteers. "The award ceremony was great fun and it is fantastic to be able to help nominate so many people from our area." On closing the evening, Ms Bradford paid tribute to Audrey Hollingbery, chief executive of Community First East Hampshire, who retires at the end of this month. She said: "Audrey has been at the forefront of promoting the voluntary sector to the district council. She has made sure the sector has a strong voice and played a leading role in developing the third-tsector strategy across the district. We thank you Audrey for all you have done and wish you a long and fulfilling retirement."
