Over the past few weeks we asked the community to put forward the people who are doing real work in Broxbourne, the ones whose actions actually strengthen the place we call home. You responded. The names and stories that came in were powerful. These nominations revealed something important. There are residents who have been giving their time, energy and money to keep this community functioning. Some build connections. Some support the vulnerable. Some protect our shared spaces. Many work quietly with no expectation of recognition.

A pattern emerged. These individuals are doing unglamorous, essential work. They absorb the costs. They solve problems no one else sees. They create trust, belonging and visibility where previously there was none. Communities do not hold together by accident. They hold together because people like this put in the effort.

Before you vote, read their profiles. Understand what they actually do. This list is not exhaustive. It only reflects the names friends, colleagues and observers were brave enough to submit. There are many others whose names are not here but whose impact is real. If that is you, consider this a direct acknowledgment. You are seen. Your work matters. Keep going.

Now, here are our Broxbourne Heroes. Voting is open. Treat your vote as a signal of encouragement and support.

You might be wondering what happens next. Winners will receive prizes. Our original plan for a gala night fell through, so we are putting an alternative in place. Details will follow soon. In the meantime, we need your support to fund the gifts. If you have used the “Buy Me a Coffee” link before, you know how it works. If you have not, now is a good moment. Contribute what you can. Let us match appreciation with action and back the volunteers who carry this community.

Use the link below to donate. Let’s get this done.

Andy Massey is the engine behind some of Cedars Park’s most important community initiatives. He founded the Cedars Park Men’s Shed to give older men a place to reconnect, rebuild confidence and regain purpose. The group is intentionally informal. Men can show up, sit quietly, chat, or dive into hands-on projects. Under Andy’s guidance, newcomers quickly move from isolation to contribution. One member put it plainly, “Since I've been going each Wednesday, I have taken up woodwork… through the Men's Shed and with Andy's support, I have made squirrel tables, bat boxes, bird boxes and stylised Christmas trees. He's a man with a big heart and is a joy to work with.”

Andy’s impact spreads far beyond the workshop. He manages the Cedars Park Apiary, a demanding operation that links the park’s present to its royal-palace past. He handles everything from hive maintenance to bee feeding. He also runs the park’s hedgehog sanctuary and leads volunteer teams who garden the grounds and clear litter.

He does all this as Chair of Friends of Cedars Park, which means he is usually the first person people call when something needs doing. As one supporter put it, “He spends more time in Cedars Park than he does at home.” Another added, “Andy is very dedicated to helping people… his phone is constantly pinging or ringing for his help.”

Andy is not just a volunteer. He is the backbone of an entire community ecosystem, keeping wildlife cared for, people supported and the park thriving.

Vote for Andy Massey to win the Community Champion Award and give Cedars Park the recognition it deserves.

Priya Patel has spent more than a decade building one of the most active, culturally grounded and community-driven groups in Cheshunt. What began seven years ago as a small circle of friends has grown into a network of more than 200 members, driven in large part by her discipline, organisational skill and willingness to do the work most people avoid.

She co-founded the Indian Cheshunt Community Group and has been central to its growth. The group now runs a full calendar of events that pull people together across age groups. Priya manages cultural celebrations like Diwali and Navratri, which regularly attract around 200 attendees. These events are not simple gatherings. They require logistics, planning, volunteers and community buy-in. She secures all of it.

Her programmes extend beyond celebrations. She has introduced dance classes, children’s activities, badminton sessions and new networking opportunities for residents. The point is not entertainment. It is to create cohesion, connection and continuity for a community that previously lacked a structured space to organise itself.

Priya also puts effort into opening doors for others. She supports local charities like One Vision and creates opportunities for young entrepreneurs. A supporter highlighted one example clearly.

“She graciously allowed an 18-year-old girl to hold a stall featuring her clothes and jewellery, empowering the next generation to pursue their dreams.”

The feedback from those who work with her is consistent.

“Me and Priya are both co-founders… over time it has grown into a wonderful and vibrant community.”

“Priya has been pivotal in setting up and running the Cheshunt Indian Community Group… she has strengthened the local community and participation.”

“I truly believe Priya is an ambassador for the Indian community. She is a force to be reckoned with.”

Her work has also bridged gaps beyond culture. She has helped bring ethnic minorities into wider community life, integrating with local police, the council, NHS partners and other groups. That requires initiative, not just goodwill.

Priya builds communities that function. She sustains them. She grows them. And she does it with consistency over many years.

Vote for Priya Patel for Community Champion. Her leadership has transformed what the local community can achieve together.

Lucy Stean has become a key driver of community action in Cheshunt through a mix of practical leadership and constant behind-the-scenes work. Her involvement in Love Cheshunt is more than attendance. She is one of the people who turns ideas into real outcomes.

Her fundraising secured an additional defibrillator for the town, a piece of infrastructure that can literally save lives. She also pushes continuous fundraising for disadvantaged children, giving them access to opportunities they would not otherwise have. This is not symbolic charity. It is targeted work that closes gaps for families who need it.

Lucy runs a community-focused local business that provides jobs and contributes directly to the local economy. She uses that platform to organise and deliver free activities for residents, making it easier for families to participate in community life without cost becoming a barrier.

Her impact shows up in the mix of safety, opportunity and community cohesion she creates. A defibrillator installed. Funds raised. Activities delivered. Jobs provided. She is doing the unglamorous, necessary work that makes a town stronger.

Vote for Lucy Stean for Community Champion. Her actions deliver real, measurable value to Cheshunt.

Emeka Ogbonnaya has built one of the strongest grassroots information networks in Broxbourne through sheer consistency and personal commitment. While working full time, he launched and sustained the Broxtown newsletter, a platform that has become a central source of local news, business visibility and community storytelling. He does the work every week, not as a hobby, but as a deliberate effort to strengthen how the community sees itself.

Broxtown has done more than report events. It has amplified small businesses, highlighted overlooked initiatives, and given residents a sense that someone is paying attention to the everyday life of the borough. Emeka shows up in person at community events, documents local achievements and brings visibility to causes that usually get ignored.

He uses editorials, features and educational courses to support both individuals and local enterprises. Since launching the newsletter, he has connected with a wide range of people, built partnerships and used his platform to lift others rather than himself.

A supporter put it simply.

“I met Emeka a few weeks ago but after reading the newsletter and speaking with him and seeing photos of his celebration of his one year anniversary, I know he is a very special person with a very special mission in Broxbourne.”

Another nominee wrote,

“He provides news and support to local individuals and businesses in such a caring and real way… he has helped many special causes through his stories and his support.”

Emeka has made local media a community service, not a business play. He has built trust, connection and visibility where they were lacking.

Vote for Emeka Ogbonnaya for Community Champion. His work has already changed the local landscape.

Andy Massey is the force behind almost every meaningful volunteer effort in Cedars Park. What started as a commitment to manage a handful of bee hives has become one of the largest and most demanding community operations in the borough. The apiary now holds 32 hives. Daily visits are essential. Breeding, feeding and maintenance all sit on Andy’s shoulders, supported by only two assistants. His talks on beekeeping have become known for being sharp, funny and packed with practical knowledge.

But the bees are only one slice of what Andy drives. He founded the Cedars Park Men’s Shed, part of a national network but built here as a lifeline for men at risk of isolation. Under his leadership, the Shed refurbishes all memorial benches in the park, runs a free bike and scooter service for children who do not have their own and repairs items for residents who need help. The Shed is a mental health anchor disguised as a workshop.

Andy and his wife also built Cedars Park’s hedgehog rehabilitation programme from scratch. In a single year they have rescued, cared for and released more than 20 hedgehogs. It is relentless work, especially as winter approaches.

On top of that, Andy manages the Friends of Cedars Park volunteers, the team responsible for keeping the park clean, maintained and welcoming. Without them, the park would decline fast. Without him, the team would not function at all.

His friends sum it up better than anyone:

“I co-manage the Men’s Shed in the park with Andy as Andy is busy with numerous other projects… helping the local zoo with advertising, giving historical tours of the park, making beer from Cedars Park hops, comparing the annual dog show and hosting Armistice Day commemorations. The list is endless.”

Another supporter puts it bluntly.

“Just mention Andy Massey to any of the local council or anyone in Cedars Park and they will tell you what a fantastic and selfless human being he is. He is like a knight in shining armour sent to help our community.”

Andy volunteers seven days a week. He rarely takes holidays because too many people and too many creatures depend on him. He even steps in as Father Christmas each year, simply because the community needs it done.

If this award is meant to recognise the person who holds a community together through sheer effort and commitment, the choice is obvious.

Vote for Andy Massey for Volunteer of the Year. He has earned it.

Janet Green has built her life around supporting people and animals who have no one else to rely on. Her volunteering is not occasional. It is constant, varied and often carried out at her own expense.

Her longest-running commitment is to Heathlands Dog Rescue. She raises money through continuous online auctions, sourcing items from donations, car boot sales and her own purchases, which means she often absorbs the cost herself. She also fosters dogs, taking them in until they can be permanently rehomed. The impact is two-fold. Dogs get a stable environment and the families who adopt them get a pet that has already been cared for properly.

Janet also supports local fundraising events. She helps organise and promote quiz nights and, when she wins, she hands her prize money straight back to charity. She stands at stalls, sells raffle tickets and puts in the time most people step away from.

Her work with local foodbanks is another major commitment. Every week she collects food from supermarkets like Lidl, transports it to the foodbank and stays to distribute it. She does this even during Christmas, including Christmas Day. That is not symbolic volunteering. That is sacrifice.

The pattern is clear. When something needs doing, she shows up. When someone needs help running a charity stall, she is there. When food needs collecting, she does it. When a dog needs a safe home before adoption, she takes it in. There is no reward, no compensation and no hesitation.

The nomination captures the outcomes clearly.

There are dogs whose lives have been saved because she fostered them. There are families whose lives have been improved because of those dogs.

There are people who have food on their tables because she collected, delivered and handed it out personally.

Janet’s volunteering is broad, sustained and deeply practical. That combination is rare.

Vote for Janet Green for Volunteer of the Year. Her work delivers real impact where it is needed most.

The Indian Cheshunt Community group has become a core cultural and social anchor in Broxbourne and Cheshunt. It gives residents with shared heritage a way to connect, build friendships and maintain cultural identity in a town where many felt isolated before the group existed. That alone fills a gap most people overlook.

But the group’s value goes further. They organise community events that bring people together across generations. Members contribute through sponsorship, hands-on support and shared resources, which means the group sustains itself through genuine participation rather than surface-level attendance. It functions as a support network for people who need community, not just activity.

Importantly, the group has not boxed itself into one demographic. It creates space for people of all ages and all backgrounds, using culture as the entry point, not a wall. In a diverse borough, that matters. They have made connection easy, where it used to be hard.

As the Indian Cheshunt Community is the only nominee for the category, they automatically win the category.

Congratulations 🎊 Indian Cheshunt Community!

Bob Ivison has played a central role in protecting and improving Barclay Park for many years. As Chair of the Friends of Barclay Park, he has used his horticultural expertise to maintain the park’s quality and ensure it consistently meets the standards required to retain its Green Flag status. That is not a one-off achievement. It is an annual benchmark that demands skilled oversight and constant attention.

Bob is the link between the community and the council. He keeps the council focused on the park’s needs, raises issues, pushes for solutions and ensures expectations do not slip. He also leads and manages the Friends of Barclay Park volunteers, coordinating their work and keeping activity aligned with what the park actually requires rather than what is simply easy to do.

He chairs the committee, oversees park events and keeps the operational side running smoothly. The result is a park that remains well maintained, environmentally protected and publicly valued year after year.

Bob’s contribution shows up in outcomes. A park that holds its Green Flag status. A volunteer team that functions. A council that stays accountable. This is environmental stewardship delivered through expertise, leadership and persistence.

As Bob is the only nominee in this category, he automatically wins the category.

Congratulations 🎊 Bob!

What’s Next..

Alright, the spotlight shifts to you now. The nominees are in, the stories are out, and the only thing left is the part that decides everything: your vote. So rally your friends, your neighbours, your group chats, and make sure they are actually subscribed to Broxtown, because only subscribers can vote. No subscription, no voice in the final outcome.

Share the website link to get them voting - https://broxtown.com

We’ll be rolling out daily updates so you can watch the leaderboard rise, fall, twist and turn. If you like a bit of drama, you’re about to get it. Share it. Refresh it. Obsess over it. Whatever works.

And while you’re out there gathering votes, help us get the prizes ready for the winners. Toss something into the pot through the link. Big or small is irrelevant. What matters is that we, as a community, back the people who spend their time backing everyone else.

Let’s make this a proper celebration. Now go, push the votes and fuel the prize fund. Let’s make this year’s awards unforgettable.

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Cheers,
Editor-in-chief | Emeka Ogbonnaya

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