‘Don’t be shy to nominate a parent’
‘NO PARENT ever thinks they deserve an award – they all think they are just doing what is expected of them.’
Martin Search, managing director of Ray & Scott, the new sponsor of the Parent of the Year award for the Pride of Guernsey, recognises that some people are reticent to put parents forward for such an award.
But there are many lovely stories out there of parents doing more than the usual to support their children.
‘Over the last two years, after becoming a second-time parent, I have realised how hard it is, especially with Covid which has made things extremely difficult for some parents. Grandparents and parents both put in an awful lot of work,’ he said.
‘We are a family jewellers so we wanted to sponsor this award to give back to the community. I always think people over here are very loyal – if you treat them right, they treat you right.’
Last year’s Parent of the Year winner, Enid Falla, attended the Pride of Guernsey event with her daughter, Anne Blondel.
‘It was quite heart-warming to see my mother’s reaction to being nominated. I remember she asked me why I had nominated her because she didn’t think anyone would vote for her. When she won the award, she was absolutely over the moon,’ said Anne.
Enid is currently a resident at GreenAcres Specialist Dementia Care Home, where she has a photograph in her room of herself, her daughter and her granddaughter at the Pride of Guernsey event.
Ray & Scott is currently running a charity-based fundraiser, Diamond Dream, for its 60th anniversary.
Customers receive 20% off all diamonds and then choose how much money they want to give back.
This fundraiser supports 10 charities in total, including the Guernsey Alzheimer’s Association. All 10 charities are set to receive £10,000 at the end of the fundraiser.
Mr Search said: ‘I am extremely grateful to have a thriving business. This is a way for us to thank our loyal customers.’
Nominations deadline
Parents do not do it for rewards, but if you think your parents deserve some recognition for going above and beyond, please nominate them for a Pride of Guernsey award. An entry form is printed in page 15 of today’s newspaper and is online at guernseypress.com. Nominations are open until Friday.
