Local charities and community groups were recognised at the Abbots Langley Tough Ten (ALTT) annual awards event in January.
In October last year, the iconic run through the village’s streets returned for its 41st edition. For 2023, the event was renamed as the Abbots Langley George Harrison Tough Ten in memory of one of the race founders, George Harrison, who passed away last year.
The event raised more than £11,000 and the ALTT committee gathered together at Breakspeare School on Friday, January 26, to award the funds to local beneficiaries.
Present at the awards ceremony was Reg Hunt, who was interviewed about his work as a village policeman in the December issue of ABBOTSnews and who, along with George Harrison, founded the Tough Ten.
This year, the committee made a special effort to recognise smaller groups which provide a valuable contribution to local communities.
To kick things off, last year’s recipients were given the opportunity to describe how they had used the committee’s donations. First up were the Abbots Langley Scouts, who talked about how they put the donation towards their trip to South Korea for the World Scout Jamboree. Despite encountering several problems, including a heatwave, the Scouts said the trip was still an amazing experience and thanked the committee for supporting them.
Next up were representatives from the First Responders group, who received funding from the committee to help support their work in the community. First Responders are local volunteers, trained by the East of England Ambulance Service, who respond to urgent and life-threatening 999 calls in the local community. The group used the funding from the ALTT committee to buy equipment to aid them in their work.
Finally, a representative from the Sunnyside Rural Trust thanked the committee for supporting them in their project of offering training and work experience to more than 170 vulnerable people. The charity and social enterprise trains people with learning disabilities to acquire skills in a number of rural activities including beekeeping and gardening.
Then it was time to hand out cheques for this year’s recipients. These included a number of local groups and charities, with the largest donations given to Rennie Grove Peace Hospice and the Hospice of St Francis, who received £2,000 each. A donation was also awarded to the newly reformed Veterans Breakfast Club, which was accepted by local footballing legend Luther Blissett OBE.
Other recipients include Abbots Langley Vintage Knitters, The Monday Club, Abbots Langley Autumn Fest, Abbots Langley Orchestra, Abbots in Transition, and Breakspeare School.
The recipient of the Sheffields Special Trophy, awarded for special endeavour, was announced as the Abbots Langley Vintage Knitters. The GT Print & Design Trophy for Special Services was awarded to PCSO Ryun Beeson and Sergeant Amos from Herts Police, and the Graham Taylor Community Cup was given to the Abbots Langley Festival Committee 2024.
The final order of the evening was to thank Pat Waterton, who has stepped down from the ALTT committee after more than 20 years at the helm. Tributes to Pat were led by chairman of Abbots Langley Parish Council councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst.
In November 2022, the ALTT committee received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MyLocalHero event.
Photo credit: Hoss Photohraphy
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