Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce that Board Director, Steve Whiteway has been selected to receive a BCA in January 2020.
Steve Whiteway, from Plymouth, Devon is to be recognised at the Palace of Westminster with a British Citizen Award in recognition of his extraordinary endeavours. The British Citizen Award, in partnership with One Stop, is now in its fifth year and recognises exceptional individuals who positively impact their communities throughout the country.
Steve will be honoured for his services to the community with a BCAc, at an official medal presentation being held on 23rd January 2020.
Steve commented: “I’m delighted to have been awarded a British Citizen Award for services to the community. This reflects the work I have done with Devon & Plymouth Chamber and many other organisations and is both humbling and unexpected, but not my reason to do what I do. None of the work and charity support that I have been busily engaged in over the past 50 years would have been possible without the support of many other volunteers and extremely supportive employers. So thank you to all those who have helped me to help others.
Steve has been a volunteer for over 50 years and has raised £750,000, making a difference to thousands of people’s lives.
Steve took on the role as Resources Development Manager, for Improving Lives, a Plymouth based charity which runs information, advice and support services for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. Steve came up with the idea that as Improving Lives was celebrating 110 years, to launch the 110 Club with business members joining in the knowledge that they are supporting a worthwhile charity. With Steve at the helm the success has been phenomenal with the first 110 Founder Members signing up in the first few months and more organisations joining daily to help those in the community with disabilities.
Steve has raised around £750,000 benefitting over 160 charities during his 50-year volunteering career. His parents were caring people within the community, always full of fun and Steve has undoubtedly inherited these virtues. At the age of 8 he really started thinking about how he could help others and went out entertaining in old people’s homes in the local community, playing the piano and raising money and smiles. This was the start of over 50 years working for his local community.
The Medal presentation will be hosted at the House of Lord’s by TV’s Michael Underwood who, together with Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, is a patron of the British Citizen Award, which was established in 2015, to recognise exceptional individuals who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a positive impact on society. The BCA recognises true community heroes who would otherwise likely be overlooked. Dubbed the People’s Honours, many recipients have subsequently been selected to receive a Queen’s Honour after theirendeavours have been recognised with a BCA.
Each medalist has a day to remember befitting their achievements. At the Palace of Westminster each will receive a Medal of Honour, inscribed with the words ‘For the Good of the Country’. Medals will be presented by Senior Representatives from official partner One Stop, Places for People, Specsavers, Experian and Objective HR who all support these awards. Following this, medalists are treated to an Open Top Lap of Honour tour before attending a Certificate presentation at the prestigious Church House.
The British Citizen Award is widely viewed as the nation’s way of recognising extraordinary, everyday people for exceptional endeavour and are truly representative of today’s multicultural Britain.
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