This year’s Annual Parish Meeting took place on Monday 24 April 2023 at the Digby Hall on Hound Street.
The meeting was well attended by local organisations and residents, along with Sherborne Town Councillors and staff who were in attendance to answer any questions from the community.
Town Clerk, Steve Shield presented a summary of the Annual Report for 2022/23. The full report can be viewed HERE. This was followed by reports from community and local organisations, including the Rendezvous, Chamber of Trade, Insulate Sherborne and the Town Youth Football Club, amongst many others.
As part of the meeting the Mayor, Cllr Juliet Pentolfe presented the Mervyn Smith Community Champion Award for 2023, which went to Mike Hatch. Mike came taught at Sherborne School in 1969 and was Housemaster of Lyon House from 1983 to 1994. After Sherborne he became Headmaster of Sandroyd School from 1995 to 2003. Upon their retirement Mike and Christine returned to Sherborne where Mike joined the Executive Committee of the Friends of the Yeatman Hospital as Publicity Officer. He was elected Chairman in 2007, a role he fulfilled until 2016 when the Friends elected him President. Both Mike and Christine continue to be involved with The Yeatman with Christine running the hospital trolley shop and Mike one of her “trolley dollies”. Mike is Chairman of Sherborne Good Neighbours and is a past President of Sherborne Rotary Club.
So the town council nominated him to receive the Community Champion Award for 2023 in recognition of all these roles, most notably his work with Sherborne Good Neighbours. If it could be given as a joint award, then it should also include Christine, as she has also contributed hugely to life within the Yeatman Hospital.
More about the award….
In 2015 the Town Council initiated a new award being the ‘Mervyn Smith Community Champion Award’, set up in memory of Mervyn and his work with the Over 50s and people of Sherborne, and it was awarded posthumously to Mervyn in 2015.
The criteria for this award is based on a Community Champion being an inspirational figure, a community entrepreneur, mentor or leader who ‘champions’ the priorities and needs of their communities and helps them get involved by building on existing skills. They drive forward community activities and pass on their expertise to others. They also provide support, for example, through mentoring or by helping to manage small projects.