Southend on Sea Citizen of the City Awards
© Citizen of Southend Awards 2023
The
Judging
Panel
Philip Miller MBE
Mick Thwaites
James Miller BA(Hons) MBA
James is the Operations Director of the Stockvale Group, and
has learnt business from the ground-up after 25 years working
for the company.
As part of his role, James Chairs the Stockvale Volunteering
Committee, whose mission it is to help as many people in the
community as possible. The committee has led beach cleans;
taken part in ‘Sleep Outs’ to raise money for HARP and the YMCA;
and provided volunteers across the town from the Stockvale
team. James also leads the Stockvale Fundraising Partnership,
which brings together charities and schools who are then
able to raise significant funds for all their different fundraising
goals.
James, together with the Stockvale team, helped win the Queen’s
Award for ‘Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility’, which
is widely known as a knighthood for businesses. Stockvale were
the first in the industry to win such a coveted award and won
because of the transformational leadership programme that has
enabled over 1000 young people to have been promoted within
the company.
Deacon Sarah McDowall was a Methodist Minister in different
parts of Scotland and then Cumbria before being stationed in
Southend from September 2020. Her town centre ministry
role includes serving as chaplain to the staff at Adventure Island
and the Sealife Centre as well as being the minister at the Trinity
Family Centre in Westcliff.
Sarah is originally from the seaside town of Ayr, on the west
coast of Scotland but hasn’t lived there for many years. Sarah
is enjoying being in Southend and getting to know so many
friendly people!
When Sarah has time off she enjoys spending time with her
husband Archie and the family and exploring the local area,
pottering in the garden and knitting. She looks forward to the
day when theatres and concert venues will reopen.
James Miller BA(Hons) MBA
Sarah McDowall
Rev Heather Simmons
Rev Heather Simmons is a Methodist minister in Leigh-on-Sea
and a professional musician with The Daisy Bowlers. She has
also spent time as a lay chaplain with HARP and Adventure
Island before studying for ministry. Heather lives locally in
Southend and loves to be involved in community projects that
bring people together which share one another's gifts. She also
runs two community choirs which perform in the town raising
money for local charities. Heather and her family run a Little
Free Library on the front of their house which supports their
next door school.
Heather's hobbies are spending time with family, her friends
and walking her dog. She loves live entertainment and art
and likes nothing more than to support local talent with friends.
Rev Mike Walker is currently the vicar of St John’s - Southend’s
historic church at the top of Pier Hill. Born in the North but
raised in the South, he has no idea how to pronounce bath
or grass but enjoys meeting people wherever they come from!
He first studied engineering and pursued a career teaching
secondary maths for 9 years before retraining for ministry in
the Church of England! He loves the local area, making
connections and pursuing the biggest questions of life &
faith together with people - especially if it’s over coffee/beer!
Rev Mike Walker
Melissa Aylott