Selfless volunteers and community champions were honoured at the sixth annual Stars of Suffolk Awards at Suffolk New College in Ipswich on Thursday night.
Andrew Beal, an experienced hill walker and climber of Trimley St Mary, took home the overall Star of Suffolk award after risking his life to rescue a fellow climber who had fallen 300 metres on to a glacier in Ben Nevis.
Fearing the climber had suffered a fatal accident, the 45-year-old scaled across a snow and ice stretch in the Scottish mountain range to reach the casualty, a mountaineer in his 60s named Dave.
Mr Beal had medical supplies in his first aid kit but had to cross the snow and ice twice more to erect a makeshift flag and obtain more support before any medical assistance could reach them.
Using a newly-purchased ice axe, he secured Dave to the hillside and administered first aid, before risking his own life by returning to the pathway to obtain medical supplies and clothing from Dave’s friends.¶
He then returned and they waited for the mountain rescue team to arrive. Mr Beal lied on top of Dave to protect him from falling boulders caused by the rescue helicopter.
Mr Beal suffered some injuries from the falling debris before they were flown to hospital for treatment. Both made full recoveries.
Mr Beal, who was also a joint winner of the Outstanding Bravery award, said: “It is astounding – I was not expecting to win the awards.
“I just wanted to help him and I hope someone would do the same thing for me if I was in that situation.”
Joint winner of the bravery category was Lee Lovering, who saved the life of Kesgrave High School teacher Jenny Acheson after her car plunged into a swollen river close to his home. He toor isked his won life to save the young teacher, who had just embarked on her career and there was an emotional reunion as Jenny thanked him publicly for saving her life.
Sixteen awards were given out at the glittering awards ceremony, which is supported by the Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times.
They included two Special Recognition awards. One was given to Will Pooley, the volunteer nurse from Eyke who contracted the deadly ebola virus in August while treating patients in Sierra Leone.
The 29-year-old was flown back to the UK by the RAF and made a full recovery after being treated in a special isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
The second recipient of the Special Recognition award was the town of Hadleigh for showing compassion and support following the tragic death of three-year-old Rosa Simon, who died in a collision involving a van just outside her home in Canterbury Gardens in June.
Rosa had been playing on her scooter moments before the collision.
The community came together to offer meals, support and kindness to help the Simon family, and allowed them to grieve.
In an emotional speech, Paul Simon, the father of Rosa, thanked the town for turning their home into a “river of love”, adding: “We are eternally grateful.”
An eight-page supplement of the ceremony will be printed in Monday’s newspaper.
Below are all the winners (and nominees) of the Stars of Suffolk Awards 2014:
Carer of the Year
Sophie Goodswin
Ric Margerson
Neil Bowles (Winner)
Young Person of the Year
Chloe Reid
Lauren Boyt (Winner)
Bayley Pryke
Outstanding Sporting Achievement
Rory Marriott
Nino Severino (Winner)
Ipswich Basketball Club
Community Team or Champion of the Year
Canon Sally Fogden
Nathan Nobbs
Fiona Ellis (Winner)
Outstanding Bravery of the Year
Mason Fountain
Andrew Beal (Joint Winner)
Lee Lovering (Joint Winner)
Hospital/Ambulance Hero of the Year
Jamie Cocksedge
The radiotherapy team at Ipswich Hospital (Winner)
The specialist oncology breast team at Ipswich Hospital
Team of the Year
Voices for Gainsborough Library (Winner)
The head and neck cancer team at Ipswich Hospital
Felixstowe coastguard rescue team, HM Coastguard
Search and Rescue Person of the Year
Felixstowe coastguard rescue team, HM Coastguard (Winner)
Suffolk Accident Rescue Service
Suffolk lifeboat crews
Fire Service Person of the Year
Mark Webster and Ian Brown (Winners)
Chris Jackson
Volunteer of the Year
Anna Hayes (Winner)
Lorraine Galvin
Matthew Applegate
Armed Services Award
The Suffolk Coastal Active Communities Team and Army Welfare Team
654 Squadron
Suffolk Regiment (Winner)
Police Person of the Year
PCs Martin Didwell and Neil Wisken and their dogs Rhino and Kaiser
PCs Ian Watson and member of the public Darren Jenkins
PCs Rebecca Gardiner and Paul Osmond (Winners)
Unsung Hero of the Year
Sophie Hendin
Dr Andrew Mason (Winner)
Joshua Nelli
Overall Star of Suffolk
Andrew Beal
Special Recognition
Will Pooley
The community of Hadleigh
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