A volunteer from East Sussex has received recognition as one of SPAR’s Everyday Champions.

Nicola Allen was acknowledged at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham this week for her outstanding dedication to communities throughout Eastbourne and the wider East Sussex area.

The 62-year-old has collected more than £20,000 for charitable causes through extensive volunteering work, fundraising activities and coordination of community events and support initiatives over many years.

Allen has expressed that helping others brings her joy and forms an essential part of her identity. She emphasised that each cause she assists holds personal significance, and she feels honoured to contribute to the area where she lives. According to Allen, receiving acknowledgment from SPAR and encountering Colin proved particularly meaningful.

Her charitable efforts have encompassed assisting older residents throughout the coronavirus outbreak, securing resources for women’s digital connectivity, enhancing wheelchair access in public areas and coordinating public gatherings for local charitable organisations. Allen also undertook a parachute jump to mark her 60th birthday, generating £1,500 for a charity supporting those affected by bereavement.

Colin Jackson CBE commended Allen’s dedication, describing her enthusiasm, kindness and resolve as extraordinary. Jackson noted that she has made a significant difference to lives throughout East Sussex through her fundraising and community involvement, serving as an exemplary model of what an Everyday Champion represents, and expressing his pleasure that SPAR has recognised her contributions.