Rotary Champions Award for Whitehead man Noel

Noel received the Rotary Champions Award 2023, which honours exceptional individuals and unsung heroes whose volunteering efforts are having a huge impact on peoples lives at home and internationally.

In 2022, Noel was the recipient of an OBE for his services to charity in Northern Ireland in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, following the MBE he was awarded 20 years previously.

Over the years he has helped to raise more than £1million for charities including NI Cancer Fund for Children, Chest Heart & Stroke, MindWise, Hope House, and the Firefighters’ Charity.

"He is also chair of Whitehead Storehouse and is the brains (and muscle) behind Music and Mind,” Carrickfergus Rotary said.

"A true asset to the local community, Noel is always motivated to find new ways to identify and help those in need. This award is so deserved.”

Commenting on the award, Noel said: “Whitehead has a great core of good-natured, hard-working people who give up their time to maintain their community. They don’t do it for publicity or for ‘likes’ or shares, they just get on with it.

"We have our annual community Christmas dinner that my wife and I do; every year, you have about 30-40 people working behind the scenes, whether it’s donating food or working in the kitchens.

"I accepted the Rotary nomination because I hoped it would quietly encourage even more people to get involved in their community. There’s no greater buzz than doing something for no reward.”