Ten Community Heroes chosen to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Amex have been honoured by American Express and the club.
The ten were selected following a competition launched in September calling for nominations of those who have made a significant contribution to the local Sussex community over the past ten years.
Among the chosen ten Sussex-based Community Heroes are Purple People Food Bank volunteer Colin Crowe, Ian Ross, who helps give underrepresented young people access to bespoke traineeship programmes, and Gemma Kybert, who supports parents bereaved through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death through a founded charity.
The full list of ten Community Heroes is below:
- Sel Selvan Chelliah – Small business owner working tirelessly to donate to the homeless in the local community.
- Colin Crowe – Purple People Food Bank volunteer, collecting and distributing food to hundreds of families.
- Jim Deans - Founder of Sussex Homeless Support, helping over 500 individuals every week through the charity.
- Gemma Kybert - Founder and charity director of Oscar's Wish Foundation, a Sussex charity that supports parents bereaved through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.
- Colin Lyall – Founder of ‘Say Aphasia’, a charity to help people with communication difficulties following brain injury.
- John & Kay Price – Working together to promote the Sussex game of stoolball for all ages and abilities.
- Ian Ross - Giving underrepresented young people the chance to get into professions they would not otherwise be able to access through bespoke traineeship programmes.
- Michelle Shrieves – Founder of non-profit charity Epilepsy Sussex, offering support and advice for people with epilepsy and their families and carers.
- Martin Thomas – Spearheading meditation evenings to help the community with its mental health during lockdown.
- Michelle Tipper – Fundraiser for Albion in the Community.
Each of these Community Heroes have had their name stitched on a seat in the American Express Lounge at the stadium in recognition of their achievements and in celebration of ten years of the Amex. The Community Heroes were invited to attend the unveiling at the stadium, hosted by American Express and former captain and first-team coach Bruno.
In addition to having their name honoured on a seat within the Amex Lounge at the stadium, each Community Hero will receive a pair of VIP hospitality tickets to watch Albion’s game against Newcastle United next month.
Head coach Graham Potter said, “Honouring ten Community Heroes is a wonderful way to celebrate ten years of the Amex. The stories of these heroes are truly inspiring, and I’m in awe of the incredible things that they have done to support and help the community over the past ten years.”
Beverly Sawyers, Vice President at American Express, commented: “The American Express Community Stadium is for the enjoyment of all football fans in Sussex and the wider local community, and we are delighted to be celebrating ten years of the partnership.
“It felt only fitting that after ten years of serving the community, we honoured some of these inspiring heroes who have dedicated themselves to the local area. We were overwhelmed by all the remarkable stories that were shared with us, and hope that honouring these ten truly deserving individuals within the stadium is a fitting tribute to their work.”