August 28, 2012 9.15 am This story is over 139 months old

Mayoral Medal heroes: Olive Musson

Medal winner: Olive always provided a helping hand at events in the Ermine, helping create a better community.

— The Mayoral Medals series introduces you to the six inspirational people who won the award this year, chosen by the Right Worshipful Mayor of Lincoln. More stories from this series.

Olive Musson, a long-time resident of the Ermine estate in Lincoln, was awarded the Mayoral Medal for her many years of diligent service to the local community.

For 25 years, Olive has helped to support a variety of volunteer groups in Lincoln and the medal recognises her especially close affiliation with St John the Baptist Parish Church.

Olive said: “I like working within the community; it gives me a sense of purpose and belonging, as well as keeping me active.

“I do not organise many events myself, but people who organise them know that I am always willing and available to help.

“[The Mayoral Medal] is not the reason I volunteer, but it was a great feeling that my work was being recognised.”

Olive continues to work with St John the Baptist Parish Church and helps put on events for the Ermine community to encourage friendship, social interaction and fellowship amongst residents of the estate.

“I really want to try and help build a community here on the Ermine Estate. I really enjoy working with people, so it’s great to be able to work with the Ermine Community Centre and St John the Baptist Church to try and achieve that,” she said.

“It also provides Duke of Edinburgh Award experience for children from St Francis School on the estate, who also come to help.”

Split into two parts, the Ermine estate was originally built in the 1950s on the northern edge of Lincoln, and is currently home to around six thousand people.

Friar Stephen Hoy, Parish Priest at St John the Baptist Parish Church, said: “Refreshments, lunch clubs, church socials; she’s always the first to arrive and the last to leave. She just loves to chat and always welcomes everyone who attends our services at the church.”

Shortlisted for the Jerusalem Trust Prize, St John the Baptist Parish Church will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013 and has launched a new project — involving a handful of local artists — to design a new stain glass window to commemorate the event.

See the Ermine Community Centre website and St John the Baptist Parish Church for more information on events and volunteer schemes in the area.

Photo: Joshua Potter for The Lincolnite