Community Champions

Written on 28 April 2026.

{Play}The 2026 Awards

On Monday, 27 April the Town Council hosted the annual town meeting, an opportunity for residents to hear what the council has delivered in the past year and to ask questions of committee chairs.

Afterwards our Mayor, Councillor Emily Trow, was delighted to present the 2026 Community Champion Awards.

Congratulations to all our winners, and thank you to all who nominated them.

Community Spirit Award – Sing along and Social Marlborough (ACCEPTED BY Anna Peacock)

Sing Along and Social provides a warm safe and relaxed space for a variety of people from all walks of life to come together and sing and socialise. They meet once a week on a Tuesday in the Church Hall and it is free to attend. The group embodies the spirit of community through kindness, unity and supporting each other and has a positive impact on the wellbeing of all those that attend.

Health and Wellbeing Hero – Marlborough Community Fridge Volunteers

The Community Fridge, a partnership between Marlborough Town Council & Transition Marlborough was established in June 2021. The success of the project is entirely down to a team of amazing volunteers, a core of 18 active and dedicated people of all ages. They give up their time each week to cover fridge shifts and collect food from shops and outlets in the evenings, 52 weeks of the year. In 2025 alone the fridge distributed 5 tonnes and 6 kilograms of food – equivalent to a large bull African elephant!

Educator of the Year – Holly Gordon

Holly has supported a student at Marlborough St Mary’s since Reception and because of this he is able to attend school full-time and truly belong. She ensures activities are accessible to him and that he can participate as a valued member of the class. She works seamlessly with therapy input and instinctively knows when he needs a quieter space. Her kindness, professionalism and unwavering belief in him have transformed his school journey.

Business Community Engagement Award – Roger Grant

Once again Roger has worked tirelessly organising big and small events in and around Marlborough, such as Mantonfest, raising thousands of pounds for local organisations and charities.

Young Person who has made a difference – Mathilde Scheepers

Mathilde has shown outstanding development and leadership skills in her role as Chair of Marlborough Youth Council. She chairs meetings, leads discussions and keeps the group on track. She has fully immersed herself in the role and now even has a seat at Full Town Council meetings ensuring that the voices of young people are not lost in local decision making.

Youth Leader Award – Jessica Caudle

Jess is an amazing Brownie and Guide leader who works full time and runs both units after work on a Wednesday. She is inspiring to the young girls and plans a wonderful engaging programme for them. She ensures they learn new skills from First Aid to sign language, putting up tents in Savernake Forest, learning how to play cricket, going on a night hike and taking part in The Big Plastic Count to name a few. Her impact in Marlborough, championing young women and 100s of girls through Girlguiding is extraordinary, so much so, she was nominated 3 times for this award!!!

Volunteer of the Year – Marilyn Mason

Marilyn has been training the beginners at Marlborough accordion orchestra and the Phoenix Brass band for over 20 years. She does jumble sales and car boot sales to raise funds to buy instruments so the band and orchestra can continue to thrive. She makes everyone welcome regardless of race, gender, disability or religion and has an abundance of patience and knowledge to bestow on the members. Marlborough is a much richer place culturally and socially because of her commitment and hard work.