Val Newman of Tamar View Community Co-op in Plymouth has been named the Association of Convenience Stores Community Hero 2009 and scooped £1,000 in the process.
After a record vote and some stiff competition, Newman was presented with her £1,000 prize at the ACS Summit gala dinner in reward for a number of community projects.
Following successful fundraising projects for a local youth football team, Newman worked with her police community support officer to set up, fund and establish a non-contact youth boxing club for under-privileged youths in the community.
Despite the store being created as a community service it had serious anti-social behaviour issues with local youths and was a high-risk store in terms of theft, criminal damage and abuse against staff.
The project has seen crime and anti-social behaviour statistics in the store reduced by 50 per cent when comparing the six months before the project to the six months afterwards.
Newman has been store manager since the shop opened in November 2005. She said: “I live and work in a deprived area and instead of fighting against people, I’m working with them. The boxing club has made a big difference to the crime rate as the local boys now have something to do and they have even built up a rapport with the police. I am delighted to have won the Community Heroes Award, it means a lot to me and will mean a lot to everyone in the Tamar View community.”
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