Anne crowned Woman of Oldham

PRIZE-WINNER . . . Anne Sykes

Anne Sykes scanned the faces of around 200 people at the Woman of Oldham charity luncheon, wondering who had been chosen for the prestigious 2010 title.

And as committee chairman Clare Weston began to outline the attributes of the person who would walk away with the title of the 18th Woman of Oldham, realisation slowly dawned that she was talking about her.

The wife of John Sykes, the former Vicar of Oldham, rose to accept her prize and told the room: “It’s absolutely amazing.”

She added: “Most of us at some point in our lives have done voluntary work and perhaps not expected to be rewarded, as I never was. But I give you my grateful thanks.”

The 65-year-old, who has decades of voluntary work and public service under her belt, said later: “I am tremendously surprised. It’s lovely, not just for me, but for the organisations that I have worked with and still work with, to have this recognition for what they do.”

Mrs Sykes has for more than 30 years beavered away behind the scenes in voluntary and charity work, never seeking a spot in the limelight, yet working tirelessly for causes close to her heart.

She took the step after the birth of her son, Adam, who’s now 38 and daughter Helen (34).

Her husband’s work for the church was so unpredictable in terms of the hours he worked, that the couple decided their mother should stay at home with them when they were young.

Mrs Sykes quit her job with the civil service, but still felt she had a lot to offer and embarked on a course to help people through voluntary work.

She was a founder member of Saddleworth Cancer Research Committee, which was set up 30 years ago, of which she is now chairman, and was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Greater Manchester in 2003.

Mrs Sykes is heavily involved with her church, worshipping wherever husband John takes on Sunday duties around the Oldham borough.

She has served the diocese as Secretary of the Board of Ministry for six years, and has long been involved with the church-related organisation, the Mothers’ Union.

She has managed its “Away from it all” scheme for the past seven years, which provides holidays for children and older people who are carers, when they need a break from the pressures of life.

Mrs Sykes, who lives with her husband in Springhead, has been a magistrate in Oldham for 19 years, and is a member of the probation committee, and a member of the panel that reviews people with drug treatment and testing orders.

She has a keen interest in local health matters, and is vice-chairman of Pennine Care Trust, which runs Oldham’s mental health services.

Mrs Sykes was appointed in 2002 — the year she ended a four-year term as non-executive director with the former Oldham NHS Trust, which ran the Royal Oldham Hospital.

She was a keen ballroom dancer when she was younger, partnering her father, Thomas Shufflebotham, and is a member of the International Dance Teachers Association, although she no longer dances.

Miss Weston, Woman of Oldham Committee chairman, said: “It’s always very difficult to pick a winner, there are so many women in Oldham doing good work.”

The Woman of Oldham Committee is still totalling up the money raised by the luncheon, which will go to Oldham Mountain Rescue Team. Lilian King, retired chief superintendent at Greater Manchester Police, entertained the women as guest speaker. Auction prizes included a holiday in a villa in Spain, which netted £800.

Oldham Mountain Rescue volunteer Mick Nield offered his services for the day as a builder, which brought in £100, as did fellow mountain rescuer Andy Hadfield, which raised £80 for his services as a plumber.

Anyone who wants to nominate a local charity as beneficiary for next year’s fund-raising by the Woman of Oldham Committee can contact secretary Janet Larton on 0161-652 8878.