John Keeney from Oakwood was honoured for his commitment to community work by Harvest Housing Group, parent company of local housing association Frontis, in Manchester on Friday.
John was recognised as part of Harvest Housing Group’s Montgomery Neighbourhood Awards and received £1,000 to help support and develop the work he’s involved in.
The Montgomery Neighbourhood Awards are organised by Harvest Housing Group to recognise those groups or individuals who have made a real difference to the lives of others within all of their communities and neighbourhoods.
From many entries across the North West, 75-year old John was selected as a runner up for his active involvement in the Oakwood Groundwork Working Group, which is currently busy transforming the land in the centre of Oakwood into a community haven, making a huge difference to the quality of life of Oakwood residents.
The site is currently home to a 25ft Christmas tree, which is bringing festive cheer to Oakwood, the first time the neighbourhood has had its own community Christmas lights.
The money awarded to John will go towards supporting and developing new projects in the area.
Bernadette Bell, Neighbourhood Regeneration Officer at Frontis who nominated John said:
“He is an extremely keen and active member of the community. He has been instrumental in the positive changes that are currently going on in Oakwood and he really deserves this recognition of his hard work and dedication.”
This is the second year, Harvest Housing Group have run the awards, which were named in honour of Lady Joyce Montgomery, the organisation’s Chairperson for 20 years until her retirement in 2005.