'I was surprised to even be shortlisted'
ON A CRUISE of a lifetime, Ray Peacegood discovered he had won one of the top Guernsey awards.
The 70-year-old president of the charity Active recently returned from a two-month cruise around the Caribbean and Brazil and was finally able to get his hands on the Specsavers Unsung Hero trophy.
'It was a really nice surprise,' he said.
'I did not expect to win.'
He discovered he had won after his son collected the award on his behalf and texted him.
Mr Peacegood started his working life in hotels, but after 20 years in the industry he decided to have a change.
He became a day service assistant at the Mignot Centre at the Oberlands and then worked his way up to become assistant team leader.
'I just enjoyed working with people and supporting them,' he said.
After being there a year, he became aware of the work done by Menfun – a charity which worked to help people with learning disabilities go away on trips.
Mr Peacegood quickly saw the benefits of taking people to new places and has personally taken people to the UK, Jersey, the USA and Portugal.
'They are completely different when they are away,' he said. 'They seem to be able to interact more.'
