PRIDE OF ST HELENS: Nominees for Handepay Unsung Hero award

There will be prizes awarded in 11 categories on the night at Saints' stadium.

Here are the three nominees for the Handepay Unsung Hero award.

Claire Rigby

MUM-OF-ONE Claire Rigby has made it her mission to help "bring the community back together” after launching her town centre cafe. 
Claire opened Momo's cafe on Cotham Street last December and has made it a facility to help the community. 
She saw a need for a safe environment for children and young people in the town centre after her son was abused by bullies at a park.
Since the launch of Momo's, Claire has set up groups at the cafe, and is inviting others to host workshops there as well.
The venue, which has a children’s area and board games for guests to play, hosts autism friendly evenings and workshops for people with learning difficulties to learn catering and hospitality skills.
There are also dementia evenings, aromatherapy events and poetry and drama workshops. 
An under 18s community cinema could also feature.
Claire said to the Star earlier this year: “I also think that as a community we are all very separated, so I decided to use my skills from working with children with learning difficulties and young offenders to make a space to bring the community back together."

Ted Forsyth

HISTORIAN Ted Forsyth and a dedicated group of volunteers have worked tirelessly to renovate the grounds of one of St Helens’ most historic sites.
Ted and the Chantry St Helens team have been uncovering graves and working hard to tidy up the grounds of the Windleshaw Chantry.
The group, which formed on a Facebook group, have met each weekend to tidy up the grounds surrounding the Windleshaw Chantry, commonly known as the ‘abbey’.
Ted also uncovered a missing jigsaw piece in the chantry’s history, finding a copy of a letter, dated June 21 1415 to Thomas Gerard Knight, Lord of Windle Manor in St Helens Central Library Archives. 
This enabled the building’s 600th anniversary to be celebrated on the exact date, with a service at the grounds.
The grounds include the tomb of Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Francois Graux de la Bruyere, responsible for bringing glass making to the town.
Ted says the volunteer group’s work makes the area friendly for visitors and fit to commemorate its rich history.

Teresa with granddaughter Shauni

Teresa Farrimond

TERESA Farrimond has helped make a difference to the lives of disabled adults for more than 40 years.
Teresa, who lives in Haydock, has run FACE club, formally known as Getaway, for 41 years. 
The club, now based at Bishop Road Police Club, has about 100 people who attend and hosts events such as dances, raffles, summer parties. It also goes on trips. 
Adults who use the club range from ages 18 up to around 90 and it helps those with all kinds of disability, including mental health. 
And Teresa, 72, has never wavered in her dedication to the people, despite having to deal with medical problems herself, including heart problems and mobility issues. 
Granddaughter Shauni Ward said: “She is an amazing woman who does not get the recognition she deserves for serving this town. She gets absolutely nothing in return other than the happiness knowing she is making a difference.
“The club has a really wide range of ages and disabilities, and they all absolutely love her. She has done it for so long for some of the people there.”