Civic awards for outstanding contribution to the life of the borough were given to each of the campaigners from the Save Our Hospitals group (pictured)
The people who make H&F a stronger, better and kinder place were honoured at our second Civic Honours awards night.
The annual H&F Civic Honours: for contributions to civic life are a moment for the borough to recognise and thank the people who’ve made such a difference in Hammersmith & Fulham.
All the people nominated have done amazing things for others in our borough. The room was kept in suspense as, one by one, each civic award was revealed at Hammersmith Town Hall on Wednesday night.
The winners were
- Most dedicated volunteer – Emma Faunch
- Contributions to art, culture or heritage – Melanie Whitlock
- Sporting achievements – Fatima Lahmouddi
- Acts of compassion – Sebastian Jackson
- Improving our environment – Wendell Park Gardening Friends
- Community organiser – Julie Cavanagh
- Bringing people together – Andy Sharpe
- Contributions to health and wellbeing – Joint winners: Tina Mayers and Soup4Lunch
- Lifetime achievement – The Brunswick Club for Young People
See all the pictures from the night on our Flickr photo gallery
A special finale
The biggest moment was saved to last when civic awards for outstanding contribution to the life of the borough were given to each of the campaigners from the Save Our Hospitals group.
The Save Our Hospital resident volunteers worked closely with the council in its fight to save Charing Cross Hospital.
They campaigned in all weathers, atended meetings, critiqued documents and let residents know what was planned for Charing Cross Hospital. Their hard work and steadfast opposition was critical to forcing the government climbdown.
The voluteers are: Lorraine Ainscow Searle, Julia Arady, Patrick Barron, Liz Beech, Tamara Dragadze, Anne Drinkell, Jim Grealy, John Grigg, Merril Hammer, Suzanna Harris, Eleanor Jupp, Michael Jupp, Jan Kilsby, Sandra Lowe, Vivienne Lukey, Geraldine Monaghan, Francis Prideaux, Gloria Wildman, Swee Wildman, Una Jane Wingfield and Carmen Vasquez.
“It was lovely to see the pride in everyone who received the Civic Award,” said Anne Drinkell, former chair of Save Our Hospitals.
“It was a real honour to be in the same room as the other award winners who do so much for our borough. There is so much good work going on.”
The Hammersmith & Fulham Civic Honours: for contributions to civic life, were launched last year to shine a light on the members of our community who have selflessly helped others and contributed to the borough.
“We’re fortunate to have people who set aside their time, give their energy, and a little bit of themselves to getting things done for others – making our borough stronger, better and kinder,” said Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
“The Civic Honours awards night is a moment for us all to recognise the dedicated people who organise our foodbanks, run residents’ associations, deal with community issues, or who have run campaigns to protect valuable community assets, such as our amazing Charing Cross Hospital.”
Fantastic evening
Anne Macalpine-Leny, founder and director of Soup4Lunch, collected an award in the contributions to health and wellbeing category. She said she is helped by two staff and a large team of volunteers who are equally deserving of the credit.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “You don’t expect recognition but if you get it, it’s like the Wizard of Oz! It’s like being given courage, a heart and a brain.
“I have so much admiration for H&F Council for doing this. It was a fantastic evening. I would’ve enjoyed the whole thing even if we hadn’t won.”
Thank you to the sponsors
We are grateful to the sponsors who helped us make the event happen: Westfield London, Horton and Garton, Hammersmith London BID, Kings Mall, Pertemps, Shepherds Bush Housing Group, idverde, and W12 shopping centre.
“We were delighted to sponsor this fantastic evening which recognised the people who make this great borough what it is,” said John Horton, director of Horton and Garton estate agents.
“See you again next year, we wouldn’t miss it!”
You can find out about everyone who was shortlisted in our previous story: Finalists announced for this year’s H&F Civic Honours.
H&F Civic Honours winners 2019
Most dedicated volunteer – Emma Faunch
Emma is a volunteer cook at the Barons Court Project. She uses her talents to ensure people who are homeless or who have mental health issues can get nutritious, healthy meals. Her meals have been described as a lifeline.
Contributions to art, culture or heritage – Melanie Whitlock
Melanie has been one of the driving forces of the Hammersmith Society for more than 30 years, serving long periods as both chair and vice-chair. She has devoted much of her time to representing the community in the society’s efforts to protect and enhance the urban environment in Hammersmith.
Sporting achievements – Fatima Lahmouddi
Fatima has trained in taekwondo since she was six years old and, 17 years later, she has recently been selected to represent the London region at national and international level. She is a role model to other Muslim women and girls and encourages all women to participate in sport, whatever their background.
Acts of compassion – Sebastian Jackson
Sebastian runs two hostels in H&F and provides highly skilled, individual-centred support to residents, many of whom have complex needs. His empathy and positive energy rub off on them, helping them support some of the most vulnerable people in our community with resilience and hope.
Improving our environment – Wendell Park Gardening Friends
Wendell Park Gardening Friends has been led by Caroline MacMillan from a seed of an idea discussed among neighbours on social network Nextdoor, into a full-grown community organisation. The plans started with improving one border, but they are gradually transforming the whole park into a beautiful community space.
Community organiser – Julie Cavanagh
Julie is manager of SEAPIA (Sands End Associated Projects in Action). She has shown endless dedication in building SEAPIA into a successful service, providing after-school clubs and holiday programmes for local children, many from disadvantaged backgrounds. She has also led campaigns on crowdfunding website H&F Hive to raise more than £56,000 for a community kitchen, and a ‘social shack’ for children and young people.
Bringing people together – Andy Sharpe
Andy is CEO of the Urban Partnership Group. He has grown the organisation through the past three decades from setting up one tenants’ association in a small office, to the current partnership which now has five community centres across Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush, running a variety of activities and support, including youth clubs, adult learning, an Elders’ Project, and the Community Champions to name but a few. They make a huge difference to the health and wellbeing of old and young alike.
Contributions to health and wellbeing – Joint winners: Tina Mayers and Soup4Lunch
Tina Mayers is CEO of the Shepherds Bush Families Project, which supports families who are homeless or have housing problems and can be a lifeline for those in need. It provides advice and advocacy, family therapy, counselling, pre-school and after-school activities, laundry facilities, clothing, and parenting programmes.
Soup4Lunch brings people living in social housing together to make a simple lunch of soup and dessert, and eat it with each other. The concept to tackle loneliness may be simple but the results have changed lives.
Lifetime achievement – The Brunswick Club for Young People
The Brunswick Club for Young People in Haldane Road, Fulham is run by manager Danny Volino. He and his team has provided a safe haven and a wealth of activities for young people for more than 30 years, including affordable holiday schemes and adventure weekends. The club introduces young people from all backgrounds to new experiences, builds their confidence, and helps them learn new skills. Many see it as a second home.
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