Charity superwoman Kim Marquis was last night crowned the 2011 Specsavers Unsung Hero after receiving nearly a third of the 800 votes cast.
This was the third year that the public were invited to vote online as well as by post for their favourite nominee – someone who works tirelessly for the local community and the service of others. Mrs Marquis was the outright winner, with votes spread evenly among the remaining shortlisted nominees.
Mrs Marquis, 45, is involved in several charities, including The Pink Ladies, Wigwam, Guernsey Deaf Children’s Society and is also an active participant in an initiative that supports British troops on deployment in Afghanistan.
A mother of four children, including one of whom has Down’s Syndrome, she undertakes all her charity work on a volunteer basis and in the little spare time she has is learning sign language so that she can communicate more easily with the children she works with at the Deaf Society.
Debi Troth, who nominated Mrs Marquis, said: ‘Kim is remarkable, she is always keen to help others and puts everyone else first, she never has any time for herself.’
Another voter said that ‘Kim is a very special lady and so deserves this award. She is truly an unsung hero; there is so much she does that people are unaware of’.
Specsavers founder Dame Mary Perkins, said: ‘This award has become the voice of the Guernsey people and they have shouted out their chosen winner. We were so pleased to see how many votes were cast this year, as well as the number of initial nominations. It really is a lovely award to be involved with.’
Islanders were asked to nominate their unsung heroes and a shortlist was drawn up by a panel, including the Bailiff Sir Geoffrey Rowland.
The other five shortlisted nominees included Ian Gaudion, member of the Guernsey Scout Band since its inception and band master since 1994; Lewis Laine, for his outstanding contribution to local football and St Martin’s FC; Derek Le Boutillier, who has run the charity equipment store for the Motor Neuron/Neuroconcern charity for many years; Mavis Lemon, who has dedicated countless hours to cancer sufferers in Guernsey through work at Bulstrode House and with the Guernsey Society for Cancer Relief; and Anne Smith, who was described as the driving force behind the Guernsey Stroke Association for more than 30 years.
Dame Mary presented Mrs Marquis with a trophy, a £3,000 holiday voucher and a £1,000 donation to the charity of her choice.