Marvellous Mandy surprised with Mayor’s award at Ravensthorpe school

Mandy Farrar, who has been in the role at Diamond Wood Community Academy on North Road for over ten years, was presented with the Mayor’s Award by Masood Ahmed at a surprise ceremony last week.

After receiving her special certificate, she said: “I have got tears of joy because I am happy and I am very proud. I am very proud of our school.

“The role at the school is about everybody’s emotional well-being and health and wanting everybody to be safe. That’s why I do my job, because I love it. I spend a lot of time here because I love it and I love everybody that I work with.

“It’s not just about me, it’s about the team. I couldn’t do it without all these kids and all my colleagues. They are all amazing.

“We are always happy at Diamond Wood and that is what makes us so special.”

Coun Ahmed, who will be replaced as Mayor by Coun Cahal Burke at a ceremony at Huddersfield Town Hall on Wednesday, May 24, said of Mandy:

“I listened to Mandy’s story when I came for International Women’s Day and I thought, “wow”. She goes that extra mile and is a 24-7 individual, seven days a week. The young people can go to somebody who will listen, who will talk to them when they are feeling low and there’s a lot of stuff around mental health and well-being in the community

“It shows how much she means to the school - everyone speaks highly of her. There are very few and far between Mandy’s around in this world and I wish there were more Mandy’s around in this world, that every school and every community had.

“She deserves this Mayor’s recognition award for her services. For me it was about appreciating what a wonderful lady she is. She is very humble and does it just because she loves doing it. I felt that she does need to be recognised for what she’s done and the award signifies those unsung heroes in the community that we have and need.”

The award, which Mandy had no prior knowledge about, acknowledges her for “going above and beyond in supporting the children at the school as well as their families and the wider community in Ravensthorpe.”

Headteacher Sally Titherington added: “She is absolutely fantastic. She is here from 6am in a morning, she’s contacting parents, she goes and collects children if they need her to and supports them with all sorts of things such as housing support and whatever our parents need.

“She really makes it her key role to keep everybody safe and happy in school. We are all really, really proud of Mandy.”

Dewsbury-born Coun Ahmed then participated in a question and answer session led by the school ambassadors, who probed him on his age, how he became Mayor and his favourite subjects at school when he was growing up.