THIS year, the Pride of Jersey awards is celebrating its tenth anniversary and it’ll be my first time working on the event after joining the JEP earlier this year.
However, I’m no stranger to these awards, and feel very sentimental about them.
Although this is my first time working behind the scenes, for the past two years I have been involved with other aspects of the event, each time in a different way. In 2023, in the midst of my cancer treatment, I nominated Tess Watson, my caseworker from CLIC Sargent (Jersey) – a local charity that provides support to children, teenagers and young adults affected by cancer and their families.
She was on the list of nominees for the Angel of the Year category – a fan favourite for the islanders of Jersey.
I remember how grateful she was to be nominated, mixed with shock and a lot of modesty for how much she had done for not just me, but also for many other families in Jersey.
She didn’t win the award, but that’s besides the point – she was a winner in my eyes.
I just wanted everyone and anyone to know how much she had done for me and my family in one of the hardest periods of our lives.
It also helped to spread the name of the charity, a hidden gem in the mix of the amazing charities we’re lucky to have on the Island.
Another worthy Islander who was nominated in 2023 and also went on to win the Ambassador of the Year award was Peter Wright.
He was being recognised for his fundraising antics for Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey, taking on challenges, which included an ice ultra-marathon, a 100km mountain ultra-marathon and a 310km ultra-marathon covering the length of Wales.
Peter and I had yet to meet before he won his Pride of Jersey award in 2023; however, we were both aware of one another and had shared interests due to our charitable endeavours.
At that point, the extent of our interactions was a few LinkedIn likes, comments and messages, but we had not yet met in person.
I’m trying to make clear how little we knew each other, so you can understand the depth of how selfless and amazing Peter is.
He decided to gift his prize money of £1,000 to me and my family.
Peter knew I was going through treatment and wanted me to use the funds to help me get back on my feet.
I used the money he gifted me towards getting myself a car after not being able to drive for over a year, something that helped me get my independence and confidence back after my cancer diagnosis.
The acts of others don’t diminish or undermine our own achievements and actions: they still deserve praise and recognition. That’s what I love about the Pride of Jersey awards – everyone and anyone can be nominated
Peter’s act of kindness is something I will never forget.
To this day, I am still so grateful and always remind myself of what he did and try to follow in his footsteps.
In 2024, a year after I submitted Tess’s Pride of Jersey nomination and I was gifted Peter’s prize money, I received a phone call from the JEP.
They were calling to let me know I had been nominated for a Pride of Jersey award.
I was up for the Young Ambassador of the Year category, made up of teenagers and young adults between the ages of 18 and 25.
Similarly to Tess the year before, the nomination came as a complete shock to me, and I was very surprised to be included in the prestigious list of nominees.
In some ways, I felt as though I didn’t deserve to be nominated along with my fellow Islanders, community groups, charities, you name it – you’ll find them on the nominee list.
Some of the categories were filled with people who have over 20 years’ experience in their sector or those who had raised thousands of pounds for charity by undertaking gruelling challenges – just as Peter had done.
There was a huge variety of achievements being recognised across the various categories, but in my eyes, I didn’t compare to any of them.
I think the root of this feeling came from a lack of confidence and also slight embarrassment, worrying about what other people might have thought.
“Oh, why is she being nominated? What’s she done that’s so great?” I thought they might say.
But the truth is, just because my nomination wasn’t backed up with multiple years of experience or a completed climb up Kilimanjaro doesn’t mean I was any less deserving.
What I had done by beating cancer and using my experience to help others was very honourable and I deserved to be praised for my contribution to the community.
It was these awards that helped me come to this realisation.
We so often compare ourselves to others and worry that they are doing “more” than us.
However, the acts of others don’t diminish or undermine our own achievements and actions: they still deserve praise and recognition.
That’s what I love about the Pride of Jersey awards – everyone and anyone can be nominated.
It showcases all the wonderful things Islanders are doing and gives them a platform for their achievements to be recognised.
On the other hand, it helps to share the word of people, groups, and charities, all doing amazing things that are on offer for islanders to either get involved with or benefit from.
We are very lucky to live on an Island filled with kind and generous people, always willing to offer a helping hand.
It wasn’t until I was in my hour of need that I was able to see the assistance and guidance that was on offer.
I went on to win Young Ambassador at the 2024 Pride of Jersey awards.
Inspired by Peter’s actions and by the sense of community I had experienced during my cancer journey, I decided to use my prize money to help other Islanders.
I created Christmas hampers for young people affected by cancer between the ages of 17 – 25 in the hope of passing on the good that was previously given to me by Peter.
Giving back to others is what the Pride of Jersey aims to do.
It doesn’t just help to uncover Jersey’s hidden gems, the people and groups that would otherwise go unnoticed, but it brings people together who otherwise might not have met.
In my current job as a Reporter, I now have the honour of getting to call people and deliver the news of their Pride of Jersey nomination – the same call I received this time last year.
