Celebrating Our Very Own Ely Hero: Sonia Marshall
Updated: 6 days ago
We are incredibly proud to share some rather special news from Fen Mobility Centre.
Our wonderful manager, Sonia Marshall, was nominated as a finalist for Colleague of the Year at the 2026 Ely Hero Awards.
For those of us who work alongside Sonia every day, the nomination probably won't come as too much of a surprise. But seeing her name among the finalists at such a wonderful local event was still a very proud moment for the whole Fen Mobility team.
Celebrating the people who make Ely special
The Ely Hero Awards are all about recognising the people who make a genuine difference to the community around them.
Sometimes those are people doing extraordinary things in very visible ways. At other times, they are the people who quietly get on with helping others, supporting their colleagues, looking after their community and making life just that little bit better for the people they meet.
That is one of the things we love about these awards.
The 2026 ceremony took place at The Maltings in Ely on Friday 11th September, bringing together some truly inspirational people from across our local community.
Finalists were recognised across 11 different categories, celebrating everything from kindness and caring to achievement, community involvement and professional dedication.
You can read more about the evening and see all of the 2026 finalists and winners on the Ely
Our very own finalist
Sonia was one of three finalists shortlisted for Colleague of the Year, alongside Fiona Ashman from Fresh and eventual winner Aiden Merry from Thorlabs.
A huge congratulations to Aiden on a thoroughly deserved win.
Of course, we might be slightly biased, but for us, simply seeing Sonia standing there as one of Ely's finalists was a pretty special moment.
And that means a great deal.
Why Sonia means so much to Fen Mobility Centre
Anyone who has visited Fen Mobility Centre will probably have met Sonia.
As our manager, she is involved in almost every part of life at the centre, but her contribution goes far beyond simply keeping everything running.
Sonia genuinely cares about our customers.
She takes the time to listen. She remembers people. She notices when somebody needs a little extra help. She will happily spend time finding a solution to a problem, chasing something up for a customer or simply having a chat with somebody who has popped into the showroom.
That might sound like a small thing, but we know from our customers that it often isn't.
People don't always visit a mobility centre because everything is going brilliantly.
Sometimes they are adjusting to a change in their health or mobility. Sometimes they are worried about Mum or Dad. Sometimes they have recently left hospital. Sometimes they are trying to regain a little independence after a difficult few months.
Having somebody who is patient, kind and prepared to listen can make an enormous difference.
That's Sonia.
She also brings that same attitude to the people she works with. Fen Mobility Centre has grown enormously over the last few years and Sonia has been an important part of that journey, helping us build the friendly, supportive team that our customers see today.
So yes, we were extremely proud to see her nominated for Colleague of the Year.
We think they chose rather well!
A brilliant night for Ely
The awards evening itself was also a lovely reminder of just how much happens within our local community.
The 2026 awards celebrated finalists across 11 categories and brought together local people, organisations, charities and businesses, all with their own stories to tell.
The evening also raised an amazing £4,000 for Arthur Rank Hospice, supporting the charity's work with people across Cambridgeshire living with serious illness and those requiring end-of-life care.
It is exactly the sort of community spirit we are proud to be associated with.
You can follow the Ely Hero Awards on Facebook to see more from the awards and the people involved.
Proud to be part of the Ely community
When we opened Fen Mobility Centre, we never wanted to be a business that simply happened to be located in Ely.
We wanted to be part of Ely.
That distinction has always mattered to us.
Our customers are local people and local families. Our staff live in and around the area. We work with local healthcare professionals, charities, community groups and organisations, and we try to support local causes whenever we can.
As Fen Mobility Centre has grown, so has our involvement in the community around us.
Whether that's supporting local events and charities, sponsoring community organisations, helping somebody remain independent in their own home or simply being there when a family needs some straightforward advice, we want Fen Mobility Centre to make a positive contribution to the place we call home.
The Ely Hero Awards celebrate exactly that spirit.
They shine a light on people who don't necessarily expect recognition, but whose kindness, hard work and commitment make our community stronger.
We think that's something worth celebrating.
Congratulations Sonia
So, from everyone at Fen Mobility Centre:
Congratulations Sonia.
We are incredibly proud of you.
You might not have brought the trophy back to Fen Mobility Centre this time, but being chosen as one of Ely's three finalists for Colleague of the Year says an enormous amount about the impact you have on the people around you.
And we couldn't agree more.
Congratulations also to Aiden Merry on winning Colleague of the Year, to all of this year's winners and finalists, and to everyone behind the Ely Hero Awards for creating such a positive celebration of our local community.
Ely has plenty of heroes.
We're rather lucky that one of them works with us.
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