South Hams District Council announced its South Hams Community Award winners for 2024. The council's outgoing Chairman for 2023/24, Councillor Guy Pannell, presented the awards to the recipients at a ceremony held recently.

Joint winners of the Organisation Award were Dementia-friendly Parishes around the Yealm and Kingsbridge Foodbank. Robin Cox and Peter Davis were joint winners of the Community Champion Award, and the Young Persons Award went to Kieran Grills.

Cllr Pannell said: "The South Hams Community Awards is a wonderful way to end my term as Chairman of the Council. It's been my honour to launch these Council awards, which celebrate the fantastic groups and individuals doing great things in our community." He added, "It's been a wonderfully difficult task to choose the eventual winners. Congratulations to everyone who has been nominated for your outstanding efforts."

Cllr Derek Hore, Chairman of Marldon Parish Council, nominated Robin Cox, coordinator of the Marldon Environment Group (MEG). He commended him for his dedication to the community for over 30 years. Cllr Hore explained: "Robin is coming up to 80 this year. He still maintains all the machinery and turns out every Wednesday with a band of volunteers, maintaining all our public footpaths. These awards are important because there are so many people, not only in our parish but in all the parishes around, who give up a lot of their own time."

Lauren Taylor, a spokesperson for Kingsbridge Foodbank, said: "It's nothing we ever expected to receive, but it's a nice little reminder for us of how important the work we do actually is."