Mayor Ann Lucas has honoured the behind-the-scenes helpers of Bexley for their selfless duties. Chief reporter LINDA PIPER has all the details ...

UNSUNG heroes of Bexley have been recognised for their work for others.

They were presented with civic recognition awards by Bexley's mayor Councillor Ann Lucas at a ceremony during a council meeting last week.

She said: "I feel proud to have met such a selfless group of individuals who have given so generously of their time. It is heartwarming to see people of such a wide age range being presented with these awards."

All the winners were nominated by the public.

For the first time this year, there was an award for outstanding achievement which was won jointly by a 74-year-old and a boy of 11.

Alfred Botterill is a life member of Erith Rowing Club.

He has been winning gold medals at world championships since 1981 and, despite reaching the age of 74 last September, he won two more gold medals at the championships in Prague.

Ben Martin, a member of Teppups, the puppet group at St John's Church in Bexley Village, won the award for his reaction when one of the couple he and his younger sister were staying with overnight collapsed and later died.

He fetched the man's wife who was bathing his sister.

While she went to see to her husband, Ben phoned for an ambulance, giving clear details and showed them in when they arrived. Then he checked on his sister and phoned his parents to tell them what had happened. The next day Ben phoned the wife to see how she was.

The group award was won by boys from Beths Grammar School, Bexley Village, for their work over a number of years with disabled at Marlborough School, in Sidcup.

Another award winner was Steve Rovai who has supported the Elmstead Unit for the disabled at Queen Mary's Hospital for 16 years, raising more than £67,000 to provide extra luxuries.

He visits patients in the unit daily and he has also created a patio and garden, even though he has a physical disability himself.

The award was a double celebration for Kenneth Clark, a member of Sidcup Rotary Club who was also made an MBE this year. As a Rotarian and as chairman of the League of Friends, he has helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Queen Mary's Hospital.

Norah Irwin, 90, has spent the past 26 years working with organisations for the disabled in Bexley, including Parkinson's sufferers and blind people. She was a founder member of the Bexley Association of Disabled people.

Ken Willis, founder of the Northumberland Heath Merchant Seaman's Memorial Fund, has raised more than £40,000 for local charities, despite suffering from cancer himself.

Other award winners included former Bexley councillor Bill Flint who was rewarded for his work in running Hurst Community Centre, Bexley, for the past 40 years.

Dawn Golden received her award for her work with Bexley and Dartford Samaritans since it began 25 years ago and Ron Handy, chairman of Bexley Sports Council and involved with Bexley Athletic Club for more than 30 years, was also honoured.

Local historian Peter Hickson, chairman of the Association of Bexley Charities and involved in all kinds of community work for 60 years including the building and maintaining of the Devonshire Road community hall, also received an award, as did Bernard Justha who has helped run Footscray Lions Junior Football Club for 20 years and is an active volunteer with Bexley Voluntary Service Council.

Other recipients of awards were: Julia Matthews, who has served as a school governor in various schools for more than 20 years; Olive Smith, 90, a volunteer with Bexley's museum and local studies departments for more than 30 years and Headway (south east London, north west Kent) a charity which is based at the former Goldie Leigh Hospital which supports people who have suffered brain injuries.