News

Awards for Newham’s community heroes

The 2nd annual awards recognised those in Newham addressing local needs.

Newham celebrated its local heroes at the annual civic awards on 5 December during a gala evening of tributes, toasts and entertainment held at the Old Town Hall Stratford.

The second year of the awards, which are endorsed by the Council on the basis of nominations from within the community, honour the inspiring individuals and organisations that contribute to making Newham a better place.

The Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, said: “Newham is fortunate to have so many truly dedicated individuals who work tirelessly during their lives to make a difference to our local community. We have an incredible wealth of talent.” She said the Civic Awards would now become a regular annual event.

Awards to recipients under 12 categories included one to the past Chair of Council, Cllr Winston Vaughan, who is also a director and supporter of Newham Voices.

Bryan Collier received the Honorary Alderman of the Borough Award and Honorary Freedom of Newham Awards went to David Mann, Jane Williams and Laiba Sheikh.

Other winners were Sian Jones who won the Good Neighbour Award for her leading role in her community, including organising recreational events and tackling social problems in areas such as community safety, housing repairs, often in conjunction with relevant statutory agencies.

The Outstanding Contribution Award to Katie Blake recognised her 19 years as a Council volunteer and her support for a wide variety of community campaigns, including the Ageing Well Strategy Resident Advisory Group.

The Youth Excellence Award went to Remeez ‘Ramzy’ Saleem who plays a leading role, as a co-chair of the Children in Care Council, in changing the way in which the Council is held to account for the services it provides to young people. He was one of the first cohort of young people trained to be a Young Commissioner, to ensure that services in the Borough meets the
needs of young people.

Other winners were the Royal Docks Living Wage Action Group who won the Community Wealth Builder Award for work to increase the number of employers paying decent wages in Newham and the Chain Reaction Theatre Company who won the Create and Thrive Award for their work with marginalised, vulnerable and ‘at-risk’ young people.

Maryland Primary School took the Green Champion Award for its support for protecting the local environment and in recognition of its dedicated and passionate group of pupils called Eco-Warriors, who ensure that everyone at Maryland understands the importance of sustainability and limiting climate change.

Awards also went to Discover Children’s Story Centre based in Stratford and The World Shirdi Sai Baba Organisation UK, particularly for work promoting cultural understanding and harmony within Newham’s diverse population. Finally, the Well Newham Award went to Your Place (formerly Anchor House in Canning Town) for its work providing accommodation for homeless people.

all photos: Andrew Baker


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