Councillor nominated in local radio’s hero awards
A Black Country councillor has been nominated for a top award as part of a West Midlands radio station’s 50th birthday celebrations.
Mak Singh, who represents the Spring Vale ward in Wolverhampton, was put forward by residents for BBC Radio WM’s ‘Make a Difference Heroes’ awards.
Councillor Singh, who chairs the council’s vibrant and sustainable city scrutiny panel, has been named as one of three finalists in the ‘Good Neighbour’ category.
This year’s awards, marking the popular station’s half-century, are being held to recognise the many ways members of the public have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
“This was a big surprise to me and I would like to thank all my community neighbours who have nominated me,” Councillor Singh said.
“I am truly humbled to receive this recognition. At the beginning of the first lockdown I was told that many older adults in the community, particularly those over 70, were struggling to go out shopping.
“Luckily, the Elias Mattu Foundation – a charity organisation that works for the prevention of poverty by helping underprivileged people – connected with me to deliver food parcels to the most vulnerable in Spring Vale.
“The foundation are the real heroes in this. We began by delivering three food parcels a week. During the first lockdown it was incredibly sad to see the fear in the eyes of so many older adults who were not able to shop.
“I took on the challenge and made it my responsibility to continue to deliver food parcels. I have always looked at and respected the older adults as my own grandparents.
Dream
“We were also fortunate to get a range of non-alcoholic fruit cocktail drinks sponsored, which we used as a gift to bless the staff at our care homes for all the incredible work they have been doing.”
“The community just nominating me means more than actually winning, as it’s enough to win people’s hearts,” he added.
“Over the years, my dream has been to restore a really strong community spirit, and thankfully this is something that has been coming together in recent years.
“Before lockdown hit, I held regular community events at the local churches and at the Royal British Legion and we created WhatsApp groups within Spring Vale, making it easier to reach out to people.
“I would like to congratulate and commend everyone who has been nominated for all the incredible work they have done within their communities during these challenging times,” said Councillor Singh.
The BBC Radio WM awards have four other categories – Call of Duty; Inspiring Young Person; Volunteer of the Year and Community Spirit.
Other nominees include Wolverhampton’s dancing binmen, who have become a social media sensation for their entertaining musical routines posted online.
All finalists will be invited to a virtual ceremony in March 2021 where the winners of each category will be announced.
