Danielle Anson is the first winner of the Mary Done award

Both lovely to see a Liberal Democrat honoured by their local party in the way that Danielle Anson has been by Folkestone & Hythe Liberal Democrats – and that the award is named in memory of another key local activist:

Danielle Anson has been announced as the first ever winner of the Mary Done Award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Liberal Democrats in Folkestone & Hythe.

Danielle has campaigned strongly and passionately for an Exit from Brexit over the last 12 months (and before) both online and regularly in person at marches, street stalls and demonstrations. Danielle also stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the July 2017 by-election for the East Folkestone ward on Folkestone Town Council. Danielle is one of many people that joined the Liberal Democrats after the 2016 European Referendum, and has got stuck into campaigning and spreading the Party message.

Congratulations to Danielle (and she’d want us to say that we can still stop Brexit – it’s not a done deal).

Folkestone and Hythe Liberal Democrats have instituted “The Mary Done Award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Liberal Democrats in Folkestone & Hythe” in memory of a very special person and to acknowledge the sort of contribution that Mary herself made.

Until her death in late 2017, Mary Done was active in our Local Party for decades, guiding and managing the Party, organising and always happy to get stuck into any task. Mary also served as Shepway Lib Dem Party President for a number of years. In her last years Mary was homebound but remained a member and fiercely supportive of the Party. She was quite simply the strongest Liberal many of us have ever met.

Whether for campaigning, organisation or standing up for local people, the Mary Done Award will be awarded annually to a person (or people) that in the opinion of the executive have made a real impact of the work of the Local Party in the year.