Community Civic Sunday & Community Civic Awards

What is meant by Civic?

The term civic relates to the citizens and community that make up Chippenham. Civic organisations are often voluntary, non-profit, community-focused groups that benefit the town and people who live, work and visit Chippenham.

Community Civic Sunday

Community Civic Sunday is an annual event that acknowledges the work and contribution made by the many local organisations, groups, and individuals who work selflessly to enhance the quality of town life in Chippenham.

Community Civic Sunday aims to include all civic organisations, mayors of Wiltshire towns, and local dignitaries. A community church service is held at St. Andrews Church, which celebrates the invited local community groups, organisations, and charities. The service is followed by a civic reception at the Neeld Community & Arts Centre where the Mayor of Chippenham presents the Community Civic Awards to the winners.

Community Civic Awards

Each year, Chippenham Town Council presents Community Civic Awards (formerly Civic Awards) to individuals and organisations who have made material contribution to the advancement, wellbeing, and welfare of the people of Chippenham or demonstrated outstanding citizenship.

The awards are split into categories:

Community Civic Awards: 2x individual and 2x organisation

Young Person’s* Community Civic Awards: 1x individual and 1x organisation

*Up to the age of 18 or 25 with SEND.

You must be able to demonstrate that the person(s) nominated has fulfilled at least one of the following:

• Made a material contribution to the advancement, well-being, and welfare of the people of Chippenham
• Supported charitable work carried out in the Town
• Assisted the work of the Town Council in a voluntary capacity
• Demonstrated outstanding citizenship.

All nominations will be received by the Civic Sub-Committee, which will recommend Award winners to the Strategy and Resources Committee. Community Civic Awards will be presented at a ceremony on Community Civic Sunday.

Nominations for 2026 are open from Thursday 1 January 2026  and the closing date for submission of nomination forms is Saturday 28 February 2026.

You can download the nomination form HERE. Please also complete this separate contact details form.

Civic Sunday 2026

2026 Civic Award Winners

Richard Meek (Individual Category)

Richard has dedicated over 4 decades to the community of Chippenham. In this time he volunteered has a Scout leader for the 3rd Chippenham Scouts, served as Mayor, volunteered with the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust and is an activate member and Chairman of the Twinning Association.

Richard has many highlights from his time involved in these various activities, including fundraising initiatives, where over the years he has raised thousands of pounds for various local charities and developing a new initiative to keep Wiltshire residents safe online for the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust.

Michael Sammes (Individual Category)

For 25 years, Michael Sammes has taken Baydon’s Meadow under his wing and gradually helped to transform it into a wonderful public amenity.

Baydon’s Meadow was originally destined to be built on, when Wiltshire Council decided they wanted somewhere for the public to walk around and enjoy. Consequently, they asked Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to draw up a management plan. Someone from the Trust went round all the houses in the area looking for volunteers. Four of those original volunteers remain active at Baydon’s Meadow today, including Michael.

Michael has worked tirelessly for more than a quarter of a century to make Baydon’s Meadows the wonderful amenity it is today, full of bats flying at night feeding on the insects that pollinate the flowers, and people strolling with their children and dogs during the day.

Anisia Rusu (Young Person Individual Category)

Anisia started volunteering at RISE in November 2023 as part of her Duke of Edinburgh hours, and since completing them, she has continued volunteering at the RISE. Her cheery smile and positive attitude is always welcomed.

Anisia supports the RISE Youth Club sessions on Wednesdays at the Oaks. Anisia donates her time every week, she is always on time and nothing is ever too much trouble.

Anisia has been a good role model to young people in the sessions; she talks to them positively and encourages them to take part in activities. The young people who attend look up to Anisa as she takes her time to talk to them about their week, and anything else they like to chat about.

Anisia has built positive and professional relationships with the young people she supports and this enables her to empower young people, who would normally be reserved, to find their own voice both in our sessions and their own personal lives.

Hardenhuish School Parliament (Young Person Local Group Category)

School Parliament Representatives work to enact the ideas proposed at meetings, organising events to raise money for charity, and undertake activities to promote democracy, participation, and citizenship within the school and wider community.

Hardenhuish School Parliament has been supporting a breadth of charitable work in Chippenham over the past year. They collected donations of hygiene products for the Re:Fresh charity, breakfast products for The RISE Trust, and food donations for the St Peter’s Church FoodBox project. They have raised money for charities including over £3,000 for The RISE Trust and over £2,000 for the Hardenhuish Educational Trust.

Hardenhuish School Parliament has contributed to the advancement of the people of Chippenham by promoting participation and local and global citizenship. Student-led initiatives such as The Great Hardenhuish Reading Challenge have been established by our student leaders, which have wide-reaching benefits to our younger pupils.

2025 Civic Award Winners

Mike Stone has always displayed a sense of ‘civic pride’ and community engagement, from his early career as a police officer through to his subsequent career as a museum curator and published historian.

As a long-time supporter and leader in the Chippenham Civic Society, he has been involved in many local community projects, including the restoration of the Buttercross, Civic Society Award nominations and the Blue Plaque scheme. Mike is a lifelong promoter of both local and world history, engaging others through his books, talks and boundless enthusiasm.

He is well-known within the Chippenham heritage community as an organiser and supporter of local charities and events, and continues to play an active part in the Chippenham Civic Society, Wiltshire Victoria County History Trust (volume 20 Chippenham), and many other projects.

Rachel Terry is a founder member and group secretary of the Sahara Sister Belly Dancing Group. Formed in 2005, the Sahara Sisters brought together five ladies with a passion for belly dancing, after the class they attended in Calne closed. The group not only gives participants the opportunity to come together for dance classes but also provides many other things, including gentle exercise, a social supportive welcoming environment, and an opportunity to have some very important ‘me time’.

In addition to supporting the ladies within the group, Rachel has encouraged the group to be part of the wider Chippenham community, with the group visiting and performing at care and residential homes, community groups, Chippenham Folk Festival, Swindon’s Sarawati Puja and Calne’s Pride Festival.

Mike Stone has always displayed a sense of ‘civic pride’ and community engagement, from his early career as a police officer through to his subsequent career as a museum curator and published historian.

As a long-time supporter and leader in the Chippenham Civic Society, he has been involved in many local community projects, including the restoration of the Buttercross, Civic Society Award nominations and the Blue Plaque scheme. Mike is a lifelong promoter of both local and world history, engaging others through his books, talks and boundless enthusiasm.

He is well-known within the Chippenham heritage community as an organiser and supporter of local charities and events, and continues to play an active part in the Chippenham Civic Society, Wiltshire Victoria County History Trust (volume 20 Chippenham), and many other projects.

Rachel Terry is a founder member and group secretary of the Sahara Sister Belly Dancing Group. Formed in 2005, the Sahara Sisters brought together five ladies with a passion for belly dancing, after the class they attended in Calne closed. The group not only gives participants the opportunity to come together for dance classes but also provides many other things, including gentle exercise, a social supportive welcoming environment, and an opportunity to have some very important ‘me time’.

In addition to supporting the ladies within the group, Rachel has encouraged the group to be part of the wider Chippenham community, with the group visiting and performing at care and residential homes, community groups, Chippenham Folk Festival, Swindon’s Sarawati Puja and Calne’s Pride Festival.

Most veterans re-enter civilian life for the first time as adults, either in their late 20s to early 30s, or after a full service career, often with little more experience of living within society than the average school-leaver. Many veterans say that when they walk out of the gates for the last time they feel abandoned, and that civilian life can feel alien.

The Chippenham Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club is a free-to-join group for both veterans and serving personnel. It helps veterans overcome and deal with the above issues, by providing a safe space for them to talk and reduce the feelings of social isolation and loneliness that can occur.

2024 Civic Award Winners

Simon Hyde has been the station manager at Chippenham Hospital Radio for over 20 years. Not only does he host his own radio show every Saturday morning, but Simon has also been instrumental in keeping the station going on behind the scenes and developing it into a thriving community radio station.  He supports the team of volunteers at the station ensuring they are in his words ‘professional amateurs’, guiding them and giving them access to improved technical equipment to enable them not only to broadcast from within the station but the ability to be involved in outside broadcasts.

Pip Higman has been involved various local groups and good causes for a number of years. Pip has been chairman of the North Wilts u3a since 2019. This organisation provides regular activity groups to over 180 members, such as German classes and book groups, some of which Pip hosts in her own home. In addition to being busy in with u3a, Pip is an active member of the Twinning Association, being a fluent German speaker, hosted 2 Ukrainians at her home and has been giving regular English lessons to Syrian refugees.

RISE Youth Service have been delivering youth activities in Chippenham and across North Wiltshire since 2001, providing safe spaces, well-being sessions, detached youth work, community mentoring and care packages. The team of 5 volunteers currently offer 4 sessions a week either at the Oaks or Olympiad in Chippenham. The team actively encourage those young people they support to become peer mentors becoming Young Youth Volunteers, currently there are 6 on the team.

Phil Townsend has devoted 25 years as an Explorer Scout Leader, helping the development of hundreds of young people in the Town. Phil volunteers not only at the weekly evening sessions but has also organised day trips and annual camps for the young people involved in the group. Over the years Phil has mentored and encouraged the young people involved in the group with things like fundraising and training.

Melanie Yexley performs home checks within Chippenham and outside the town to help find suitable foster and forever homes for dogs that would otherwise be stuck in kennels or put to sleep. Melanie carries out assessments on dogs to understand their needs and gives guidance to their new owners, assisting with the dogs rehabilitation where necessary. Alongside her volunteer work, Melanie opened up Bargammon’s Tavern, a local board game café. The café has quickly become a safe space and a social hub for the community, having a positive impact for many especially those in the neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ communities, with Melanie being instrumental in providing a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, assisting with form filling and supporting individuals growth. On Christmas Day Melanie opened up the café to provide somewhere for people to go.