Brian Calvert
Brian won a Community Champion Award in 2023, and is delighted to be part of the Ely Heroes Team for the third year running. He has been a resident for 25 years and brought his young family up in the city. During the week, he works for a parliamentary monitoring consultancy in London – but always enjoys coming home to Ely.Brian is known for his dedication to Scouting. He is the Group Lead Volunteer for 1st Ely Scouts, supporting a team of 40 leaders to deliver outstanding experiences and meaningful challenges for young people locally. He also coordinates the Ely Litter Pickers group, organising volunteers and equipment, and works closely with young people completing voluntary service as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.
As a proud member of the Ely community, Brian is passionate about encouraging everyone to make a positive contribution locally – and from his Scout values, doing a good turn each day. He is honoured to be part of the judging panel at this year’s Ely Heroes, alongside many others who continue to inspire the city.
Maria Morgan-Geen
Maria is very much a product of her roots. Growing up in a small rural hamlet outside of Ely, that community-first mindset has never left her. She now lives in Witchford with her husband Paul, drawn in no small part to its similar spirit, where she is an active member of the community. Away from work, her family is everything, and she is a proud stepmother to Oliver.It’s fair to say property was always going to be Maria’s world. As the daughter of a builder, she grew up with bricks and mortar quite literally in the family. With over 25 years in lettings and property management, the last 14 of which have been spent running Platinum Properties, she has built a multi-award winning business from the ground up.
Alongside running the business, Maria has a genuine commitment to nurturing the next generation. She has worked with the Future First programme in local schools, championed the Apprenticeship programme, and to date has successfully trained four young people through their modern apprenticeships via Platinum Properties, something she considers one of the most rewarding aspects of what she does. Platinum Properties also actively supports local events and charities throughout the year.
As both a judge and sponsor of the Ely Hero Awards, an event she has been involved with since its inception, Maria needs very little convincing of its importance. She works in an industry where technology plays an ever-increasing role, but she also understands, perhaps better than most, the irreplaceable value of real human connection. The Ely Hero Awards exists to celebrate exactly that, and it’s an event that sits very close to her heart.
Gill Prangnell
Gill’s varied career included 10 years teaching Business Studies and a similar period of time at Cambridgeshire County Council in a diverse range of roles. Gill also worked for the Careers Service and for a short time on a Cambridge University research project that involved interviewing people in the Ely area.
Gill’s last role was as Policy Adviser at Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce which included supporting the work of the Ely Chamber of Commerce and acting as an independent judge for the Ely Standard Business Awards.
Jo Evans
Jo Evans is a long-standing member of the Ely community. Over the years she has volunteered in many different ways, from running a wildlife club for children to Timebanking and working with the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce.Today, Jo is a Governor at Vista Academy in Littleport, where she leads on Careers. She also volunteers with local schools, mentoring students in CV and interview preparation and helping them find the confidence to present themselves well. She takes part in careers fairs regularly, offering guidance to students thinking about their next steps.
Professionally, Jo runs Emerald Frog Marketing, an outsourced marketing consultancy based in Ely. She has worked with businesses across Cambridgeshire since 2009. A former Ely Hero Award winner and experienced judge, Jo brings a perspective shaped by both sides of the experience.
Stuart Green
Stuart is a previous nominee in the Community Champion category for his involvement with various projects including Sutton Feast and the Sutton Beast.
Although things move on, his involvement in the community is still at the heart of his life. He spends several days a week with his one man entertainment show in the care homes of Cambridgeshire and the surrounding area, as well as volunteering with ‘Library at Home’ and also for an online mental health peer support service.
He is also a founder member of Ely’s successful Sea Shanty Crew – Isle ‘ave a Shanty – as well as running Sea Shanty Workshops to schools, theatres and community groups, and as if he’s not busy enough – he curates and broadcasts his own show, ‘The Folk Club’ on various worldwide internet radio stations. Stuart brings a wealth of experience to the Ely Heroes team, having been a judge previously.
Lis Every
Lis has greatly enjoyed serving as one of the judges in celebrating local heroes, particularly within such a popular category. It proved to be a particularly challenging task to narrow down so many impressive entries to just three finalists. Ely is a fantastic place to live, work and shop, and she found it especially rewarding to collaborate with fellow judges in recognising the talent, care and commitment of local people.Before retiring, she worked for over 30 years in secondary education as a business teacher and later served as a Secondary Head Teacher in Peterborough. Her family also ran a local business for 40 years. Following retirement, she became a local councillor on the City of Ely Council, serving as Mayor for two years. She also chaired East Cambridgeshire District Council and was Vice Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council. She is deeply committed to supporting skills development and helping young people in the area achieve their career potential through her work with the Chamber of Commerce and the Ely Cathedral Business Group.
Married with two children and two grandchildren, her hobbies include theatre and singing. She serves as Chair of Trustees for VCAEC, is a Founder Trustee of the recently formed Princess of Wales Hospital (Ely) Charitable Trust, and is also a Trustee of Ely Choral Society, Needham’s Foundation, Bishop Laney Foundation and Viva Theatre and Community Group. In addition, she is a governor at Ely St John’s Primary School and Ely College.
Peter Royle
A previous finalist in 2022 (for services to litter picking), Peter is delighted to have been invited to now be an Ely Hero Awards judge. Having moved to Ely in 2015, Peter says he, ‘enjoys the size of the city and its friendly nature, the Cathedral views and the ready access to the countryside’.A keen runner, Peter can often be seen out hitting the trails or at one of the local parkruns, either running or volunteering. As Social Secretary for Ely Runners, Peter likes to think creatively about the type of events he organises, recently winning a Special Award for organising the club’s 40th anniversary celebrations in 2025 (ten different events spread over four consecutive days).
Peter works full-time in the finance sector in London but was also an early and keen (possibly the keenest) member of Ely Litter Pickers, a voluntary group of likeminded Ely residents whose litter picking exploits aim to keep the city looking its best year round for residents and visitors to enjoy alike.
Shelley Davies
Many of you will know Shelley as the face of Shelleys Shop and Post Office in Witchford which she ran for 19 years. Shelley and her husband Lee decided, for many reasons, to handover the reigns to new owners in 2023 and enter a new chapter in their lives.
Now living by the sea with Lee and their two dogs, Riggs and Molly, Shelley is now working part time and enjoying many hobbies. The decision to remain as a judge, if asked!, was an absolute “no brainer!” As she has been involved with EHA since 2017 and has a huge passion for the event, the other judges and its whole ethos. Shelley is very excited to be part of the judging panel this year and looking forward to having the privilege of meeting so many inspiring “Ely Heroes”.
Rebecca Foster
Rebecca, or Becks as she’s more commonly known, lives in Isleham and has spent most of her life in and around the Fens. She has a long-standing appreciation for the area’s big skies and open horizons – a view she especially misses when surrounded by hills or taller buildings! She’s married to a Londoner, whom she successfully convinced that Cambridgeshire is the ideal place for him to call home. They have two daughters, Iris (14) and May (11), who bring energy and fun to everyday life.Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys sunny days outdoors, whether walking in the countryside, spending time with family and friends, or simply relaxing with a good book and a large glass of wine or 2! With over 15 years of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition, Rebecca has developed a genuine passion for people and their stories. She is particularly driven by helping others find opportunities, grow in confidence, and realise their potential, and finds it hugely rewarding to see people achieve their goals. Rebecca is proud to support initiatives that inspire the next generation and create meaningful career pathways, and she is absolutely thrilled to be part of the judging panel, celebrating the achievements and potential of others.
Justin Smith
Justin has had a long career supporting adults with a learning disability across East Anglia, and now provides leadership within a National Learning Disability Charity. This work is varied and rewarding, and this is where running comes in, because his work can be stressful, and he has found running and the running community to have a calming influence in his life.Justin is a past winner of the Sporting Hero category, which was off the back of his work around inclusion in his local Running Club (Ely Runners) and for parkrun. He also won the Regional England Athletics Award in the same year as the Sporting Hero. Justin leads the popular Ely Runners Beginner’s course, and is a parkrun addict, who volunteers at Soham Village College parkrun every other week. On the alternate weeks Justin travels with friends as far as he can to try out other parkruns.
Justin is honoured to be asked to be part of the judging panel.
