User:TeresaMcCarthy/sandbox

Teresa McCarthy-Dixon was born and raised in Portmagee and is the youngest of seven. She went through formal training as a chef and has worked all over Ireland, London, Northampton and even aboard the QE2 cruise liner. Arriving in London in 2001, Teresa was very active in the Irish Community. Moving to Northampton in 2006, Teresa took over a well- established Irish pub, The Swan & Helmet and later purchased the property. She’s known by locals as a fantastic publican and the ‘hub’ for the ever-growing Irish community in Northampton. In 2016 she married her long term partner Anthony Dixon.

The pub is home to the Sons of Erin GFC, and Teresa’s Irish heritage runs deeply through everything she does, from the pub to her charity to just helping out a vulnerable local. She regularly hosts live Irish music events, Gaelic games, Irish dinner dances, traditional Irish sessions and Irish speaking classes.

She has organised community festivals for St Patrick’s day and a yearly event named the ‘Speedy Cup’ which has raised £192,200 for local charities

She’s won numerous awards from ‘Community Pub of the Year’ (twice) to ‘Northamptonshire Community Person of the Year’ and ‘Northampton’s Inspirational Woman 2021’. She was also a finalist for a national community work award.

When Covid-19 struck, Teresa decided to try and help support the community, so the pub was converted into an emergency foodbank, supplying families, vulnerable and isolated people with a lifeline. This fledgling idea to provide basic support later evolved into the McCarthy-Dixon Foundation, a registered charity that sought to benefit the entire community. Teresa has organised 1,150 food parcel deliveries a week, feeding over 43,000 local people and supporting even more through 52 local schools and 13 community, Council and NHS groups.

Teresa has managed to integrate the Irish and local communities through her charity, providing renovation work which greatly improved local wellbeing. Teresa and her team set to renovating 76 gardens/rooms for those unable to do so themselves. She also organised a weekly social club aimed at bringing both communities together reducing loneliness and also a food larder where groceries are available at reduced prices. Another great idea formulated by this unique charity was to create an affordable haircuts service for those who are struggling financially. This would be offered as a walk in service and at discounted prices, provide a necessary service to those living in poverty.

Since lockdown has eased, Teresa has continued to offer support within the community, continuing to offer garden and room renovations for people who are physically, mentally or financially unable to do so, providing haircuts, providing affordable food, and continuing to work closely with the local community identifying areas of need and trying to work out practical ways to help. Personally, Teresa is a mother of 2 children, her youngest having a diagnosis of Autism, Teresa sought to raise £12k for the local school to build a sensory den. The school and the children have benefitted from this important resource. Teresa’s understanding of the range of difficulties societies face and her own life path have led her to connect with others on both a practical and supportive level, but also on a personal level, this helps the charity to offer flexibility and diversity in how it works, because it offers help to individuals as well as groups, and offers a personal element. Teresa will support the individual, the neighbour who is elderly and has little social contact, the isolated person who has no family and health needs to take care of. The charity recognises the importance of these small deeds of kindness as much as supporting whole schools with food packages. Each is as important as the other. Teresa’s ongoing commitment to raising money for the local community, providing a range of support packages and working closely with community sectors to reach out far and wide has given her a platform to effect positive and continual change.

Teresa's awards

⁃	2022 High Sheriff of Northamptonshire Recognition Award for Activities and Contribution on Embracing the life of the Community. ⁃	2021 ITV Anglia Regional Fundraiser of the Year. ⁃	2021 Kerry Person of the Year, Awarded by: The London Kerry Association. ⁃	2021 Northampton's Community Inspirational Woman of the Year Awarded by Northampton Borough Council ⁃	2020/2021 COVID-19 Local Hero Awarded by: Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards ⁃	2020 Northamptonshire Community Person of the Year Award by: Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards ⁃	2020 Highly Commissioned Shining Star Awarded by: Northamptonshire Carers. ⁃	2021 Rose of Northamptonshire Award ⁃	2018 Northampton Heart of the Community Award, Awarded by Northampton Mayor (Councillor Gareth Eales) ⁃	2015/2016 Winner of Town Pub of the Year off the year Awarded by: Awarded by: Northamptonshire Food & Drink and Northampton Pub Watch Awards ⁃	2015-2016 Winners of Northampton Chronicle and Echo Pub of the Year Awarded by: Northampton Chronicle and Echo ⁃	2012/2013 Winner of Community Pub off the year Awarded by: Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards. ⁃	2012-2013 & 2013-2014 Winners of Best Town Bar Awarded by: Northampton Pub Watch Best Bar None