A WINSFORD business leader is to receive a prestigious award for inspiring the local community to become more active.

Anne Boyd, chief executive of Active Cheshire, a charity which promotes physical activity and sport in Cheshire, is being bestowed with a British Citizen Award Medal of Honour in recognition of her extraordinary endeavours.

Thanks to her leadership and guidance, the organisation engages, educates, enables, inspires and influences the local community as well as a wide range of organisations, stakeholders and partners locally to change.

The British Citizen Award, in partnership with One Stop, recognises exceptional individuals who positively impact their communities throughout the country.

Anne Boyd is being honoured for services to business within the community.

Anne has taken an existing organisation and reinvigorated it for the benefit of the entire community. Through her leadership she has transformed it to reach a much wider community audience.

The charity has been able to help people in the most inactive and deprived areas of Cheshire to get more active because of her drive and determination.

Anne understood that to make a real difference, Active Cheshire had to provide people with opportunities and behavioural change comes later, but changing habits and mindsets and making changes within the charity was needed to increase an inactive society.

Anne has a futuristic vision, often going above and beyond to improve people’s mental health and wellbeing, by embedding physical activity into all aspects of everyday life across Cheshire and Warrington.

Tens of thousands of people have more active and lead healthier lifestyles, thanks to her pioneering approach.

During her eight years at the charity Anne has transformed Active Cheshire, rebranding and repositioning as a lead body within the area. She revitalised the governance, co-produced a strategy with whole system partners, secured an outstanding rating from national funders and helped more than 100,000 people to get active on a regular basis.

Anne said: “I am hugely surprised and humbled to be recognised in this way. As a leader we represent those working hard around us.

"I’d like to pay tribute to everyone who has supported our mission and helped us to progress it in so many small ways.”

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Anne is one of 25 extraordinary people who will be recognised for their positive impact on society, selfless giving, and their commitment to community at a medal presentation on October 22.

The medalists will all have a memorable day that they will never forget, which is fitting recognition for their amazing contribution to society.

The event will be hosted by TV’s Tim Vincent, with BCA patrons Lord Dholakia and Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers in attendance. Medals will be presented by senior figures from the sponsor community which includes Experian, Places for People, Objective HR, alongside Specsavers and One Stop.

The British Citizen Award was established in 2015 to recognise exceptional individuals who work tirelessly and selflessly making 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 their endeavours have been recognised with a BCA.

Each medal of honour bears the words ‘For the Good of the Country’ and are presented to only a small number of exceptional individuals twice yearly. 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.