World-renowned scientist, Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff2, is among six others who have been awarded Freemen status by Broxtowe Borough Council. The council bestows the award of Honorary Alderman, Freeman of the Borough and Freedom of Entry on individuals who have made a significant contribution to the community, which are the highest honours they can give.
Martyn, originally from London, studied at the University of Cambridge and became a Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Nottingham in 1979. He remains a respected member of staff as Research Professor of Chemistry and has been commended for his preservation of history and future development of Beeston over 40 years. Martyn has been dedicated to bringing science to as many people as possible, including being a presenter of the popular YouTube channel Periodic Table of Videos.
In 2008, Martyn was awarded a CBE for his services to science, followed by a Knighthood for services to Chemistry in 2015, and in 2021, to his great excitement, a Nottingham tram was named after him. He is an engaged member of the local community, noting the success of his children and students as his proudest moments.
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Kenneth Storer, a 96-year-old who has been supporting sick children at QMC for more than 15 years, was also honoured by the council. Affectionately known as 'Mr Sunshine', he takes a bus and a tram to the hospital to deliver donated paper and supplies to the wards for the children to use for activities to keep them entertained during their stay.
It comes after Kenneth’s granddaughter Bridie was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 15 in 2006. As he visited the hospital regularly to bring food and supplies to his family during her stays at QMC over two years, he witnessed the difficult times children on the ward and their families were experiencing.
Inspired to do something positive, he persuaded his employers at Wades Printers to donate paper and supplies to him so he could take them to the wards for the children to use for activities. Before long, Kenneth was visiting two children’s wards daily to ensure that the children had not only paper, but also crayons and other treats to make their stay a little more comfortable.
Community First Responder for over ten years, Derek Burnett BEM, has dedicated many years to supporting vulnerable people to live a better quality of life. As well as co-ordinating the Nuthall and District Community First Responder Group, Derek and his team run CPR courses to local community groups and support them to access and maintain the defibrillators throughout the borough.
Derek was born in a British Military Hospital in West Germany in 1949, and so had a strong affinity to the armed forces. For 15 years, he held various volunteer roles at the Soldiers', Sailors', & Airmen's Families Association (SSAFA), a charity which offers lifelong support to ex-service personnel and their families.
A strong believer that everybody deserves a second chance in life, Derek was able to use his experience as a police officer, together with his strong personal values to help guide prisoners with a background in the Armed Forces back into society. In 2007, Derek was elected onto Broxtowe Borough Council, representing Nuthall West and Watnall for the Conservatives.
He remained a Councillor until 2019, when he stood down following a successful year as Mayor, in which he raised over £7,000 for SSAFA and East Midlands Ambulance Service. Derek is firmly in the business of saving lives, whether that be in the most literal sense of the word or the impact he has on helping people to turn their lives around.
A Freeman status was awarded to David Bingham, an entrepreneur who has been a driving force in creating opportunities for jobs, businesses and economic growth in Broxtowe Borough following the closure of Moorgreen Pit.
In 1969, David set up Caunton Engineering Ltd. The business quickly expanded and after moving premises several times, they settled on the site of the former National Coal Board National Workshops and Stores at Moorgreen.
The purchase of the site was initially to provide a new production facility, however, the other ex-colliery buildings came as part of the deal so as a landlord, David was keen to encourage other businesses to the site and see the whole area brought back into use.
The project by Broxtowe Borough Council received £2.75m funding in 1995 and David was involved in many of the initiatives, including the development of the Moorgreen Industrial Park, Moorgreen Community Woodland and the Moorgreen Colliery Site. In addition, he ensured that he and his colleagues supported skills training and job opportunities through the local college and various community projects.
Gillian Bourne, an 86 year old from Stapleford, was awarded after she ensured the continued success of scouting over more than 45 years. In 1977, she began volunteering with 5th Stapleford Scout Group and became a Cub Leader in 1978, marking the start of over 45 years and counting of committed service to supporting and developing young people in Broxtowe.
Recruiting and retaining Leaders proved difficult and as a result, the groups were also losing children. Recognising the importance of the organisation in improving the prospects of young people in the area, the idea of it closing altogether was unbearable to Gill. Despite having a demanding full time job and bringing up three children, she became a Scout Leader in addition to her duties as Cub Leader.
To engage the local community, she developed a plan to recruit new leaders by writing to parents asking for them to volunteer. It proved successful and a new intake of leaders were trained. The group remains a thriving community of more than 70 children gaining memorable experiences and skills for life.
She has twice received official recognition of special service through the Scout Association, receiving the Medal of Merit in 2002 for her dedicated service to the group and the Silver Acorn for specially distinguished service within the organisation in 2015.
Dr David Nunn's tireless work ensures that all of Nottinghamshire’s war dead were remembered has helped result in a new war memorial for Nottinghamshire and brought comfort and closure to communities across the county.
He retired from his teaching position at West Bridgford Comprehensive, now West Bridgford Academy in 2005 to take on his next challenge – a PhD. David spent the next four years researching and writing his thesis on the impact of the Great War on Nottingham’s system of elementary education and the contributions to victory of the city’s teaching profession.
During his studies, David became aware of the lack of local written records of war dead during the First World War and he began to develop an idea for how an accurate total could be complied and the fallen of Nottinghamshire commemorated. In June 2011, he met with Nottinghamshire County Council to ask them to host a website for the names.
David established and leads a team of volunteers who meticulously research names by borough. By 2013, 14,000 names had been collected and were uploaded to a publicly accessible ‘Roll of Honour’ on the County Council’s website to mark the centenary of the end of the Great War.
Until this project, no list of Nottinghamshire’s Great War dead had ever been compiled. In autumn 2017, it was agreed that a new memorial should be designed and erected at Victoria Embankment.
The new memorial was unveiled in June 2019 by the Duke of Kent, listing 13,600 names of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War. The unveiling remains David’s proudest moment.
Former Borough Councillor, Ken Rigby, was also made an Alderman of the council at the ceremony, for over two decades of dedicated service to the people of Broxtowe in which he championed local need and bridged the gap between the council and its residents.
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