Joe Ferguson Helston honoured for dedication to Coastline

As one of seven recipients of the Duchy-wide Coastline Customer at the Heart Awards, Joe was recognised for his inspiring work with the landlord.

Joe Ferguson receives his Long Service Award (Image: Supplied) His nomination recognised him as a true inspiration for his community, where his efforts have led to real improvements and positive outcomes for his neighbours.

Recipients of this year’s awards were all nominated by friends, neighbours and other community figures.

Here are the other recipients of this year's Coastline Customer at the Heart Awards:

The recipients with their certificate (Image: Supplied)

Seren Blackmore, Padstow

Seren was crowned Young Hero for all the litter picking she has done over a number of years to keep her neighbourhood clean.

 Seren and her family live near a communal park that for some time did not have a litter bin. She would often fill carrier bags of litter and bring them home to dispose of, even when she became too old to use the park herself.

Seren has also helped other children who were experiencing bullying in the park, stepping in to give them support.

Jeanette Evans, Redruth

Jeanette was awarded the Miners Minder Award for her patience, positivity and the laughter she brings with her each week (Image: Supplied) A love of card games led to Jeanette Evans from Redruth volunteering at Coastline’s Miners Court Extra Care scheme, offering to teach people in the Day Centre how to play.

Jeanette spent a couple of Monday afternoons teaching people how to play different games and it became so popular that the sessions now happen on a weekly basis and people really look forward to them.

Jeanette was awarded the Miners Minder Award for her patience, positivity and the laughter she brings with her each week.

Hussain Layne

Hussain, a volunteer of Coastline’s Homeless Service, was given the Your Next Step award in recognition of the journey he has been on personally and how he has helped clients at the service.

He has been integral to a garden transformation project, helping to turn an overgrown and disused area into a multifunctional activity space that lots of people have since benefited from.

Hussain was also given a Partner Programme Award for his hard work in establishing a newsletter for the Homeless Service and being a representative for other voices on different resident groups and focus sessions.

Dermot Dooley, Bodmin  

A Green Champion award was given to Dermot Dooley from Bodmin for his hard work cutting the grass and maintaining the wild hedges and field in front of his property for children in the neighbourhood to use as a safe space for outdoor games.

He also helps many other people in his area to maintain their own gardens and is always keen to plant things that keep the birds, bees and other insects happy.

Tim Davis, Truro

Tim Davis receives the Community Volunteer of the Year (Image: Supplied) Community Volunteer of the Year was won by Tim Davis of Truro who has volunteered at Coastline’s Homeless Service since 2019.

Tim organises local walks, encouraging people to get active and spend time in nature. These have proved so popular they evolved into weekly ‘Explore Cornwall’ walks.

This sees groups of people going on walks across the county to discover and learn about new areas.

Izzy MacQueen

A Partnership Working Award was given to Izzy who runs 7th Rise, an eco-friendly venue delivering wild experiences in nature on the Fal River.

 Some of Coastline’s homeless clients and colleagues met Izzy during a foraging workshop at 7th Rise and she was keen to find out what else she could do to help Coastline’s Homeless Service further.

She generously offered free use of her venue each month for clients. The impact this has had on the well-being and confidence of many clients has been described as phenomenal.

Kimberley Croft

The Good Neighbour Award was given to Kimberley Croft (Image: Supplied) The Good Neighbour Award was given to Kimberley Croft who spends his time tending the garden, picking up litter, weeding and growing vegetables for others to eat in his local community.

He attends group sessions and classes on a regular basis because he knows it will encourage others.

Allister Young, Chief Executive of Coastline Housing, gave out the awards alongside retiring Chair of Coastline Steve Harrison. Allister said: “It’s one of the highlights of my year to be able to hand out these accolades and meet so many inspiring people.

“Each and every person nominated deserves true congratulations for the impact they have had on their local community, neighbours and others. They are an example to us all."

Anyone wishing to get involved with Coastline’s volunteer programme or other customer groups can find out more at the charity’s website.