A lifelong learning pioneer who has overcome redundancy and family heartache was last night crowned the 2010 Pride of Shropshire champion.

Christopher Breakwell, who works at the South Shropshire Furniture Scheme in Ludlow, took top prize in a glittering ceremony, held at Shrewsbury Town football club’s stadium.

The 50-year-old follows in the footsteps of previous champions, Teina McGarry of Whitchurch, and the Meole’s Got Talent community youth group in Shrewsbury.

See our photo gallery to the right

Christopher was one of nine category winners crowned at last night’s event, which was run by the Shropshire Star, in conjunction with Shropshire Partnership, Muller Dairy, and a host of other local sponsors.

He was nominated for the Learner award, which he won, by Elaine Griffiths of the Home-Start service. She first met Christopher when she was running a training course for people looking to teach adults.

Chris had been working as a volunteer at the Ludlow group for many years but legislation and funding rules meant he had to gain some form of qualification if he wanted to teach adults.

Struggled

Elaine said: “With a degree of confidence issues, he completed the course including delivering two teaching sessions to the group, but struggled with the written work – not helped by the death of three close family members.”

Chris spent many sleepless nights trying to complete his course work on time, before the “huge achievement” of passing his exam in January.

He now works for the Ludlow charity as a specialist, delivering IT skills to learners with a range of difficulties.

Boss Jean Jarvis described him as a credit to the organisation.

Among the night’s other category winners was Ben Smith, from Windsor Road in Oswestry, who took the Special Young Person prize. Linda Arthan, from The Marches School and Technology College in Oswestry, explained: “Ben was the main carer for his mum for two hours after school every day, showing exceptional bravery during a period of her illness which affected her sight and mobility.

“He then had to cope with the loss of his mum at the same time as starting secondary school.”

Lovely

She said he was “a lovely young man” who was deserving of recognition for the way he had handled the troubles presented to him.

Helen Francis, also from the Oswestry area, won the Community Group award for her work on the Trefonen Hill Walk weekend which she started in 1991.

It has been held every year since then, bar one when the foot-and-mouth crisis intervened, and gives adults a choice of routes, as well as a “jungle walk” for the youngsters.

People now travel from all over the country and the event raises cash for a string of charities including Save The Children, Hope House, the Air Ambulance, Lingen Davies, and Severn Hospice.

Councillor Joyce Barrow, who nominated Helen, said: “I cannot express the way that the community pulls together to pull the weekend off and it is all down to Helen’s leadership and motivation.”

Tina Dickin, of Brookside, Telford, who looks after her husband of 28 years, won the Carer award. The last 12 years have, according to her family, seen a sharp decline in his health, forcing him to give up work as a maintenance engineer.

It began with deafness in his mid 30s and he was then diagnosed with a rare disorder which causes bleeding on the brain and attacks the nerve endings – something for which there is no cure.

He is now aged 50 and totally dependent upon Tina for most things.

Mother-in-law Mary said: “Tina is a very capable person who has grown into caring for Jon with a cheerfulness which is commendable in every way.”

Pauline Jackson and Debbie Haywood, two very passionate ladies who want to help others, won the Best New Business Idea prize for their Dawley-based venture Heavenly Quest, a training school for alternative healing and beauty.

Clare Foster, who nominated them, said: “The shop is run on the same lines as a charity shop, with local people donating goods. They also work with local producers and craft people.”

Since the shop opened earlier this year, both ladies have been overwhelmed by the donations they received and intend to use the profits to cover costs of training for people on low incomes.

This year’s Environmental Project award went to the Tanat Valley Light Railway. The group, run by a team of volunteers, owns a 1.25-mile stretch of the Nant Mawr Branch

h Railway Line and associated land, in the West Felton area. Members have been working in conjunction with Shropshire Wildlife Trust to create a woodland walk, picnic spot, and nature trail on the former quarrying site.

They also manage two of Shropshire’s top flora and fauna sites under the Trust’s advice, have created pond and woodland sites to encourage local wildlife, and planted hundreds of self-seeding alder saplings.

Karl Preen’s remarkable story won him the Courage award. He was put forward by his brother Jamie, from Donnington Wood in Telford — the nomination came in via email while the pair were lying in a hospital bed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Jamie said Karl had “given him his life back”. He explained: “My brother has given me his kidney at the age of 19 — he has put his own life on hold for the past year and has been through it all to help me.

!I could not begin to tell you what this means to me and my family. In our eyes he truly is a life-saver.” Karl added: “When I heard he needed a transplant I didn’t need to think twice. It is not something you really have to think about.”

‘Grateful’

The 19-year-old, a production operative at Ricoh’s manufacturing plant in Telford, said Jamie was “very grateful” for helping him and was recovering well.

“I just wanted to help him and that meant giving him my kidney, so that is what I did.”

Alwena Martin, from Trefonen near Oswestry, won the Good Neighbour award for her involvement in many local groups. She started up the Jubilee Club in Trefonen in 1977, and the club has an average membership of 80 for its regular lunch meetings. Joyce Barrow, who nominated Mrs Martin, said: “She organises and takes her retired members on day trips, theatre trips and holidays.,”

Barbara Martin, of Plox Green, Minsterley, has been voluntarily co-ordinating the Pontesbury Walking For Health group since May 2008, and the won Healthy Life award.

Since Barbara’s group was launched, over 85 members of the local community have become involved and walkers travel from as far as Telford to take part.

Becky Johns, Walking For Health co-ordinator at Shropshire Council, said: “She is liaising with the area co-ordinator to provide lower level walks for less able people.

“She is a warm and friendly individual, who acts as a point of contact for any new walkers interested in joining. Her enthusiasm for the project is second to none.”

There was also a special award handed out last night to Shropshire Shropshire soldier Kim Hughes – who was presented with the George Cross for “outstanding bravery” by the Queen earlier this week. The Royal Logistics Corps staff sergeant, from Aqueduct in Telford, dismantled seven insurgent bombs by hand, without any protective clothing, so five seriously wounded soldiers and the bodies of two dead comrades could be recovered.

Railway Line and associated land, in the West Felton area. Members have been working in conjunction with Shropshire Wildlife Trust to create a woodland walk, picnic spot, and nature trail on the former quarrying site.

They also manage two of Shropshire’s top flora and fauna sites under the trust’s advice.

Karl Preen’s remarkable story won him the Courage award. He was put forward by his brother Jamie, from Donnington Wood in Telford — the nomination came in via e-mail while the pair were lying in a hospital bed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Jamie said Karl had “given him his life back”. He explained: “My brother has given me his kidney at the age of 19 — he has put his own life on hold for the past year and has been through it all to help me.

“I could not begin to tell you what this means to me and my family. In our eyes he truly is a life-saver.” Karl added: “When I heard he needed a transplant I didn’t need to think twice. It is not something you really have to think about.”

The 19-year-old, a production operative at Ricoh’s manufacturing plant in Telford, said Jamie was “very grateful” for helping him and was recovering well.

“I just wanted to help him and that meant giving him my kidney, so that is what I did.”

Membership

Alwena Martin, from Trefonen near Oswestry, won the Good Neighbour award for her involvement in many local groups. She started up the Jubilee Club in Trefonen in 1977 and the club has an average membership of 80 for its regular lunch meetings. Joyce Barrow, who nominated Mrs Martin, said: “She organises and takes her retired members on day trips, theatre trips and holidays.,”

Barbara Martin, of Plox Green, Minsterley, has been voluntarily co-ordinating the Pontesbury Walking For Health group since May 2008, and the won Healthy Life award. Since Barbara’s group was launched, more than 85 members of the local community have become involved and walkers travel from as far as Telford to take part.

Becky Johns, Walking For Health co-ordinator at Shropshire Council, said: “She is a warm and friendly individual, who acts as a point of contact for any new walkers interested in joining.”

There was also a special award for Shropshire soldier Kim Hughes, who was presented with the George Cross for “outstanding bravery” by the Queen earlier this week. The Royal Logistics Corps staff sergeant, of Aqueduct in Telford, dismantled seven insurgent­­ bombs by hand so five seriously wounded soldiers and the bodies of two dead comrades could be recovered.

The Pride of Shropshire Awards are backed by a host of big-name local companies including the e-Innovation Centre, Telford College of Arts and Technology, Wrekin Housing Trust, Denso, Coverage Care and Shropshire Housing Group. Lightsource also provided audio-visual support.