Occold - Past articles

For years Dawn has accepted many of the unattractive jobs in the village without complaint: e.g. organising 100 Club, recycling bin upkeep, paper bank emptying, and being PA to the voluntary work that her husband Andrew also does for the village. She was indispensable to the transfer of the village newsletter from Sharon to myself and continues to handle the less attractive aspect of ORACLE; chasing payments and paying bills.

Her work for the Grove Evangelical Church and its village Youth Club are testimony to someone who quietly takes her faith into all areas of her everyday life. But centrally for all Occoldians her keeping faith with the new village hall, and keeping it on track, when many of us had given up hope, is her crowning achievement.

Gil Colchester
Dawn is a lifeline to us at SAFEchild. I approached Dawn to take over the financial side of the charity some years ago as I couldn't keep up with the volume of work and to be honest finance is just not my forte. Dawn agreed to help one day a week and has been one of the biggest assets to SAFE, ensuring that we have any information to hand at a press of a button and in ensuring our valued staff are paid on time. Dawn shows great commitment to SAFE and works extra hours without pay I suspect to ensure the smooth running of the finance dept. Without her knowledge and commitment we would have been unable to expand our business and help and support voluntary groups around the UK to run childrens' activities safely.

Rosie Carter
Dawn is very committed, of the highest integrity and we know we don't pay her enough for what she does..... She will always help out in other areas where needed and, although she technically works a fixed day a week, she will always answer queries etc at any time. It is people like Dawn who freely give of their time that keep communities and charity work going.

Pat Stratton
Dawn seems to keep ORAC's admin/finances running smoothly plus our own here at SAFEchild. Also she obviously gives much time and energy to the Church, Youth Club and village functions and the new village hall project. She is also the main contact when Bill (the cleaner/caretaker) needs to ask for more supplies or has to report problems. All this she undertakes with great patience and cheerfulness.

Steve Tarrant (ORAC)
It would be fair to say that having read the other contributions about Dawn that a very clear picture can be drawn of this amazing woman called Dawn! Clearly someone who is prepared to be there for others and pleased to help, not just with financial matters, being her forte, but all round support for many in the village.

Although I am not a long standing member of ORAC it is clear that her contribution to the cause is very intense and an incredible source of practical, factual and local knowledge all offered without condition. Over the past months I have been able to rely on Dawn to deal with all sorts of ORAC business matters, not to mention her commitment to dealing with the Lottery Grant Application, which undoubtedly would have stopped lesser people in their tracks! A true asset to Occold and those who live here – Thank you Dawn

Sue Hubner (Parish Clerk)
Dawn has for many years been invaluable in carrying out the annual Parish Council audit on an entirely voluntary basis (despite my offering to pay her)and has always been available to answer my financial queries with regard to the PC books

Kevin Chittock (Parish Council)
When Debenham girl Miss Dawn Read met and married Mr Andrew Crisp of Redlingfield and decided to make their home in Occold, there was always going to be one winner. That was Occold. Always happy and smiling, and willing to help, Dawn goes about her business and her faith quietly and efficiently.

Greg Noller (Grove Evangelical Church)
Dawn’s strong Christian convictions have contributed greatly to church life. I know she is committed and passionate about the gospel and how this can transform people’s lives. You only have to see the care and creativity she demonstrates, whether it is addressing young people at Youth Club, a Sunday School class or a school assembly. Without her musical talent (she was for many years the only musician amongst us) our worship would have been decidedly less tuneful!

Dawn is a great example of someone who wants to show the world that being a Christian is about going out and influencing the community. She does this tirelessly with enthusiasm and cheerfulness. Having said that, she also serves at home where she often sacrifices her own time, to show hospitality to others.

On a personal note, Dawn has shown great kindness to myself and Di during difficult times and I am sure others in the village would echo this sentiment. I have known Dawn now for 20 years and I am grateful to God that I can give her perhaps the greatest accolade any of us can receive – that of friend.

Thomas Baines (Youth Club)
Today in papers we always see celebrity after celebrity talking about what they have or haven’t done. But what about those people who really matter. Dawn Crisp is a loving wife to a fantastic husband, who also gives up her time on a Friday evening to hold a youth club. Along, with help, she manages to arrange trip after trip of enjoyable activities for youngsters including the all time classic “Youth Club camp at Red House Farm”. On top of all this she is a busy, hard working accountant who always manages to find time for us lot. Having recently applied for grant money, Dawn has spent it on numerous toys such as a Nintendo Wii and Hi-fi for us to use. During our youth clubs, Dawn is one of the leaders who will help us to understand God in interesting and different ways, using PowerPoint and teaching us songs. Therefore, I think Dawn is our local hero because she is devoted to making us happy, to teach and explain the ways of God and come together more as a group.

And so say all of us!