ORGANISERS of the Mayor’s Best of Worcester Awards 2020 were on song as they rounded off the awards to the final group of winners.
This year’s awards ceremony was due to be held at the Guildhall in March. Sadly Coronavirus put paid to that, as well as to a revised date in September.
Instead the organisers held a ceremony, for most of the winners, outside the Guildhall on a lovely sunny Saturday morning in September.
But that left three schools to be visited, in a Covid-safe way, to honour some of the city’s brightest musical talents.
Coun Allah Ditta – Mayor of Worcester 2019-20 – and Coun Alan Amos were at Pitmaston School as the school had been presented with a special award for its outstanding work for Oscar Saxelby-Lee.
And then it was time to honour eight of Worcester’s finest young musicians. All of Worcester’s schools had been invited, in January this year, to put forward young people to be auditioned for a music award. Alfred Kelsey of Bishop Perowne College was the first to receive his award.
At Tudor Grange Academy the school invited back four former pupils who had all left the school in July to move onto university.
Coun Ditta presented awards to Amy Palmer, Harrison Leaver, Emily Vine-Taft, Ben Ettridge, Josh Ettridge, Miya Crosland and Dan Lightowler.
Keith Slater, the man behind Community Boost who had organised the awards, told the Observer the day was tinged with just a little sadness for the eight young musicians.
“Sadly the opportunity for these young people to perform at a full house in the Guildhall was scuppered by the virus,” he said.
“I was so disappointed as for many of them the opportunity has gone forever. However the plus side was that it was so good to see them all again, especially with their winners plaques.
“Worcester should be proud of just how talented these three young people are.”
