Gosport's Mayor 100 awards celebrate the very best of the town's community spirit

Cllr Jamie Hutchison, right, with Lesley Weatherson - a British Sign Language interpreter who received an award for working tirelessly during the pandemic to support deaf and deafblind people, giving them access to crucial healthcare information

INDIVIDUALS who have gone above and beyond for their community have been honoured by their town’s mayor.

Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Jamie Hutchison, has presented awards to residents across the town, in a special ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of Gosport becoming a borough.

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The purpose of the Mayor's 100 awards is to pass on admiration and appreciation for local people, whose much valued work and commitment in the community makes Gosport special. But as it turns out, the awards have proven so popular that the council hopes to make it an annual event.

Cllr Hutchison said: ‘As part of the borough's 100th anniversary, I wanted to celebrate the achievements of people who make a difference in our community. I have had the pleasure of meeting and learning about the wonderful and amazing work by the people and organisations of Gosport, so it's been an honour to recognise them with these awards.

‘I would like to thank you, along with the council and the community of Gosport, for making Gosport such a great place to live.’

Events celebrating Gosport's 100th anniversary continue throughout the borough this winter, including an exhibition at the display space in the newly-renovated Gosport Museum and Art Gallery from until January 3. This has been created with the help of more than 400 local schoolchildren, who took part in workshops prompting them to portray what Gosport means to them.

Residents are also being encouraged to mark the centenary by adding to the oral history collection at Gosport Discovery Centre.