A DEDICATED young fundraiser from Lyme Regis has been granted the town’s highest honour in recognition of his contribution to the community.
Joshua Denning, 20, was granted the Honorary Freedom of the Town of Lyme Regis at a special meeting of Lyme Regis Town Council.
The council unanimously supported the proposal to name Joshua a Freeman of the Town, acknowledging the commitment he has shown to the many local organisations he has volunteered for.
Joshua recently won the ITV Westcountry Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year Award for his dedication to fundraising for local organisations and events, including Regatta and Carnival Week, Lifeboat Week, Lyme Lunge, the Poppy Appeal, the annual fireworks’ display and the Lyme Regis Town Band performances on the seafront.
He has collected an estimated £50,000 for local events and organisations.
The motion to award the Honorary Freedom was put forward by the mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Philip Evans.
Cllr Evans said: “Freedom of the Town is the greatest honour the council can bestow on one of its citizens and Joshua, at the age of 20, is the youngest ever to receive this acclaim.
“As a council I believe we should recognise those who go that extra mile for our town and no one has put in more miles for Lyme than this extraordinary young man.
“Josh has brought a huge amount of publicity to the town in winning the West Country Pride of Britain award for young fundraisers and we wish him every success when he goes to London for the national awards.”
The only other Lyme citizen to hold the Freedom of the Town is Phil Street, awarded for his years as town crier and work with the twinning association.
Former mayor Stan Williams, now deceased, was also a Freeman for his long service to the borough and town councils stretching back 60 years.
The town now awaits news from the Pride of Britain Awards on Monday 21 October, which Joshua will attend at Grosvenor House in London with his mum Annette.
Joshua is one of 17 regional winners in the Fundraiser of the Year category and will find out on the night if he has won the overall award.
This will be followed by a mayor’s reception at the Guildhall on Friday 15 November, when Joshua will receive his Freedom scroll, joined by his family and close friends.