Chairman's Award

In 2005 Walkington Hayride was nominated for the 'East Riding of Yorkshire Council Chairman's Award' for 'Enhancing the Image of the East Riding of Yorkshire'.
They were looking for individuals, organisations or groups, who's work has
improved the image of the County and been an encouragement to those wishing
to make their home in the East Riding.

One of the village representatives who attended the awards evening described
the occasion:
Honestly, it was like the Oscars! Claire Frisby from the TV was an excellent host
and every effort had been made to ensure that all nominees could appreciate
what an important award ceremony this was for the East Riding. 

The tension grew throughout the evening as various other awards were made
and then the moment arrived. Claire explained that this category was hotly
contested and then a short clip was played in support of each short listed
nominee. Ours included extracts from one of the Hayride videos along with
commentary explaining the origins of the event and the good community work
 that has been achieved by the Village in raising money for the local branches
of selected charities and highlighting that over a quarter of a million pounds has
been raised by the Hayride since it started in 1967.

 We held our breath as the Chairman of the Council opened a gold envelope
and then announced….. 'and the winner is……Walkington Victorian Hayride !'.
There were cheers from around the room and we were completely overjoyed
and brimming with pride, as, on behalf of our village, we went up on stage to
accept the certificate and a lovely plaque which we hope to erect in a prominent
place for all to see.

We believe that we accepted this award in recognition of the generations of
Walkington Villagers, Horsemen and Supporters who have worked tirelessly all
these years to bring this spectacular and unique event onto the roads of the
East Riding, in doing so bringing History alive and raising invaluable funds,
most notably in the fight against cancer.

 We should all be very proud of this achievement and when you all see the plaque
I am sure that you too will all feel a touch of the pride that we experienced that
night.