COMMUNITY champion Ralph Rudden has been rewarded for his service to the community with Sale Rotary Club's annual 'Tom Morris Award'.

The award is a 'people's honour' for those who give 'service above self' to the community in and around Sale.

Since he retired from active service in the Army, Ralph has chaired various incarnations of the local community association, culminating in the successful ‘Sale West and Ashton Partnership’, which has helped to transform Sale’s once-notorious ‘Racecourse’ estate, into the vibrant ‘Sale West estate’.

Ralph’s work in co-ordinating the various community activities and his position on the board of the local housing association has helped to improve the environment, and the quality of the housing stock on the estate.

In addition to all this, Ralph has used his experiences in Sale West to contribute to the board of the Trafford Partnership, and has helped to share good practice among other areas that are similar to Sale West.

President of Sale Rotary Club, Minesh Vaiwala, commented: “Ralph is a worthy winner of this year’s Tom Morris Award, demonstrating the Rotary ethos of ‘service above self’ to the people in his neighbourhood.

"It was a pleasure to present the award and to hear of the fantastic work being done by the whole community in Sale West.”