This month we presented Shine Awards to:-
Andrew Sharp
Andrew was nominated by a member of staff who said “Andrew is our Finance Business Partner for Property and for Dorking Halls, both of which are large and complex budgets – and these are not the only areas he supports. He has been a pleasure to work with since he joined MVDC just over a year ago; but has gone above and beyond in relation to helping finalise the 22/23 outturn position for the Property and Regeneration budget. This year end I was looking at the budget with a BMT ‘hat’ on, and it resulted in me generating lots and lots of queries in a very short space of time. Andrew has worked tirelessly and at pace in identifying the root cause of some long-standing anomalies (many of which predate him) and putting in place resolutions and assisted me in getting to the bottom of some apparent discrepancies/variances to the budget forecast compared to expectations at the end of December. Despite being under significant pressure to achieve key deadlines, he has been extremely helpful, generous with his time and unfailing cheerful throughout. I cannot say how much I appreciate all of his efforts”
Joint Shine for Jo Sheedy and Lindsay Hill
Jo and Lindsay were nominated by a member of the public who said “Jo was our MVDC point of contact for Dorking Men’s Shed starting in 2018. Happily for our team she ‘got’ what we were seeking to instigate with a men’s shed straightaway. I should add this was before we even located premises. We anticipated the shed would be more likely to succeed if we worked in partnership, even if we did not know what this really meant in practical terms at the outset. Through Jo we learnt the local charity landscape via the KT22 Older Persons Group and this has been important in terms of funding successes and referrals to our group. As long anticipated our initial premises have been put up for sale by the owners, who have given us an advantageous opportunity to bid for the freehold of the building. We have submitted substantial applications for funding at national level. Jo has been paramount, literally beyond the call of duty, on one occasion attending when she was unwell, to chair a session in our favour, coordinating support from both stat and non-stat agencies to build the case for us to make, hopefully, a successful purchase of the building. As with any large application for public funds the outcome is uncertain. It was important therefore for us to develop a contingency plan for a space for us to continue in an interim period, whilst we devised a long term plan. Lindsay had taken over the chair of the KT22 group and continued full support in practical terms for our project. This extended to identifying a space at the former MV training room which might serve as an interim base for the shed. She also guided us through the method for an approach to obtaining a satisfactory licence for the premises on helpful terms. Having the ‘spare’ premises in the background was a massive relief for us as we have continued our negotiation with the vendors, knowing that we had somewhere to carry on, to almost the same operational extent, if we are unable to complete the purchase – having in effect a ‘lifeboat’ to step into. The committee and members of the shed have put a great effort into reaching our current position with good outcomes for members and the local community, and that has been fairly visible in many ways. What has been much less visible, but crucial for us as a new charity, has been the professional support, advice and guidance provided to us so graciously by Jo and Lindsay, our critical friends and true ambassadors for MVDC. We are very grateful”
