RESIDENTS who show 'strong community spirit' have been recognised for their achievements by their local council.

Several prestigious awards were given to residents of Connah's Quay by the outgoing chair Cllr Pam Attridge.

As her final act as chair of Connah's Quay town council, Cllr Attridge proudly presented the community awards at the annual general meeting and thanked the nominations for their work across the town.

The first award was given to Janet Roberts, who was recognised for her service to the local free summer play scheme.

Cllr Attridge said: "Her position and enthusiasm knows no bounds. Even when faced of the prospect of not having a venue, Janet was not to be defeated and always finds a solution.

"Her team deliver a fantastic scheme year in year out and one town council is extremely proud to support.

"No child is excluded. Janet ensures all children are as involved as they want to be with the activities. Without her the scheme wouldn't be what it is today and I genuinely believe that she is fully deserving of one of our community awards."

The scheme has been running for forty years and Janet has been involved for the past 30 years, providing a place for children over the summer holidays.

She said: "You have no idea how much this means to me. I'm a Connah's Quay girl born and bred. Out of 40 years the scheme ran, I've done 30 of them and 20 have been in the field. I know Connah's Quay children.

"This is a massive part of my life and I want to thank town council for giving us this opportunity. The children are fantastic, don't let anyone tell you different about young people, they haven't changed at all. The world's changed, they haven't and we thrive on this scheme. It's the flagship of Flintshire and you need to be very proud of it, I'm very proud of it."

The second award of the evening was presented to Bradley Williams, who is the youngest recipient of the award.

Cllr Attridge said: "Bradley is in inspiration to me and many others in the community. His dedication and commitment to volunteering across many organisations is testament to the character of this young man.

Bradley indeed is only 16 and I believe is the youngest nominee for the Community Award. He's firmly deserving of this award."

Bradley was the youngest person to demonstrate how to use a defibrilator through the Welsh Hearts charity and also volunteers for St John Ambulance and Owl Cymru.

The Leader has previously reported that the 16-year-old received the Diana Award last year in recognition for his voluntary work across the community.

Receiving the final award was Brian Purcell who has been, and continues to be involved in local football across all levels and ages.

Cllr Andy Dunbobbin nominated Brian for the award due to his contribution with children and the wider community.