The Parish Council were pleased to announce at the Annual Parish Meeting held on 18th April 2005 FREDERICK DONCASTER as the winner of the 2005 Citizen of the Year. 

Neighbour Alyson Read sent in the following nomination to the Parish Council about Fred.

Fred looks after all his neighbours despite the fact that he is 96 years old.  He often takes responsibility for deliveries to neighbour's houses, not only post and parcels but building materials too. One neighbour is often away on business, leaving his wife in the house alone.  Fred makes it his duty to keep an eye on her, getting up at 6am to check that she is up and checking that she has made it home okay in the evenings.  If she doesn't return to the house at her usual time he even takes the trouble to ring her parents to let them know so they can check if she is okay. For his 90th birthday he changed his car for a more up to date one. Fred still drives his car and always offers his neighbours a lift or a loan of his car if theirs is not available for any reason.  He pays the window cleaner for a couple of his neighbours and takes charge of their wheelie bins as well as doing his own gardening and maintaining his own bungalow – cleaning out the gutters, painting the outside doors and window frames and so forth.

He buys his neighbours chocolate if one of them does him a favour.  He even buys it for them if he does them a favour! A couple of years ago when the gas board were doing domestic safety checks Fred had five sets of house keys and dealt with it all for all his neighbours whilst they were all out at work.  Fred Doncaster also drives to collect his house help, Hilda and cooks her lunch.  A few years ago he was helping an "old lady round the corner" by cooking her lunch and delivering it a few times per week.  This Lady was 94 and he was only 91!

He looks out of his window in the mornings and waves to all the children in cars going to school as well as waving to all the neighbours as they leave for work.

In 2004 Fred and Hilda were mugged on a Saturday afternoon in the car outside his bungalow.  Also later in the year he suffered a burst ulcer and had to go into hospital - since then his neighbours have restricted him to light duties - he puts the wheelie bins away after they have put them out.  Last year his little dog died, this desperately upset him but being Fred he got on with things and has now managed to buy two Cavalier King Charles puppies and this has given him a new lease of life.

He has been a widower for approximately 10 years. He looked after his wife Kathleen who was in a wheelchair and almost blind prior to her death.  He goes to the Cemetery to tend her grave every day.  He rarely moans and is up the paper shop every morning before 7am.  Any workmen in his immediate vicinity receive supplies of tea. Everybody who knows him has had help from him in one way or another.  He is a very special caring helpful man.  Given his age this must mean he has helped a vast number of people over the years.  Thousands of acts of kindness.

Unfortunately Fred was unwell, and unable to attend the meeting to collect his award.