Maxine’s a wonderful worker

Maxine Moar: award

LOCAL hero Maxine Moar’s take-no-prisoners attitude has always impressed residents in Hathershaw and Fitton Hill.

And now her skills have been noticed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Maxine (pictured), participation co-ordinator at New Deal for Communities (NDC), has won a Home Office Community Crime Fighter’s Award.

She received the Wonderful Worker gong for her pioneering efforts with Neighbourhood Agreements and specifically the successful Peace and Quiet scheme.

The Peace and Quiet Agreement is the second of five resident-led initiatives which aim to give communities more of a say in the way core services are delivered in their area.

It has been highly successful and has been copied by other local authorities and police services across the country.

Maxine was nominated for the award by Abid Jaweed, chairman of The Neighbourhood Team on behalf of residents’ group TNT and the Street Reps in recognition of her exceptional community work. She received the accolade from Gordon Brown, Home Secretary Alan Johnson and Home Office lead on crime for the Civil Service, Louise Casey at a swish Downing Street ceremony.

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas visited the Honeywell Centre in Hathershaw to speak to Maxine about her inspirational work.

Gordon Roscoe, chief executive of the NDC Programme said: “This award is a great honour for Maxine but also for the NDC area and the communities of Hathershaw and Fitton Hill and the wider Medlock Vale.

“It highlights the great partnership work between local residents, NDC officers and partners in developing a range of initiatives to fight crime locally which have really paid off.”