Chairman of the Chester Mystery Plays Jo Sykes has been nominated as a champion volunteer.

Nominated by: Jane Dawson

Reason for nomination:

Jo Sykes is chairman of Chester Mystery Plays (CMP), a registered charity whose sole purpose is the production of CMP every five years.

Jo has been involved with CMP since 1962 when, as a young teenager, she performed in the plays. She has been whole-heartedly dedicated ever since, joining the board in 1995 and becoming chairman in 2003.

Project manager Jane Dawson, who nominated Jo, said: “Her voluntary role is extremely ‘hands-on’ – it is hard to imagine how this amazing community event could happen without her.

“She works tirelessly on fundraising (having personally raised over �100k for the Plays over the years), marketing, management and tea-making!

“She is a charming and highly effective figurehead, representing CMP locally, nationally and internationally – one minute she’s on BBC Breakfast, the next handing out leaflets in the city centre in the pouring rain!

“She is CMP’s greatest champion, keeping an incredible (and hugely enjoyable) part of Chester’s heritage alive.

“Jo is a fantastic leader and role model for the hundreds of volunteers that form the CMP company – she encourages and inspires them all, from the tiniest sheep to the biggest centurion!

“Jo doesn’t do all this single-handed, but it really couldn’t be done without her!”