OVER the years, Fordingbridge Rotary Club has awarded those people who make a difference to their communities in the Rotary Citizen of the Year awards.

Sara Winteridge, who runs the Fordingbridge Carers Hub, will be added to the board of names in Fordingbridge Town Hall as this year's Citizen of the Year.

Two years ago Sara Winteridge, who has a social work background, launched the Fordingbridge Carers Hub at the Fordingbridge Avonway, funded by the town's Rotary Club.

In its first year the hub made contact with 250 carers.

The Fordingbridge Carers Hub receives increasing numbers of enquiries and many visits from people caring full time, 24 hours a day, who are often unaware of their entitlement to support.

This year, the group received a grant of £300 from Fordingbridge Town Council together with small donations from visitors to secure vital volunteers, without whom it would be impossible to function.

Now a 30-strong group now meet with the hub on a monthly basis, with regular representatives from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, the Alzheimer’s Society and the British Red Cross.

Along with the title of Citizen of the Year, a cheque is also received, however Sara said she would plough the money into running the hub.

Sara said: "This means I can continue to work towards building a sustainable carer friendly community by covering the overheads and voluntarily coordinating the Fordingbridge Carers Hub for a further year.”

Recent awardees have been the late Margaret Kimberly for her work with the Avonway Day Centre and Rick Neal, chairman of the Fordingbridge Community Minibus committee.

The Carers Hub meets at Avonway Community Centre on the fourth Friday of each month from 2 – 4 pm.