Southwark's Volunteers and
and Active Citizens Shine!

Southwark Stars
and Active Citizens Awards
Friday 7th March 2008

On Friday 7th March, over 100 of Southwark’s volunteers and active citizens were recognised at a glittering award ceremony at the London Hilton Tower Bridge. The event was organised by the Active Citizens Hub, a project run by Volunteer Centre Southwark supporting people to get more involved in action and decision-making in the community and work to bring about change.

64 people were given ‘Southwark Stars’ Awards to recognise over 100 hours of volunteering in the last 12 months. Collectively the volunteers have given an outstanding 19,698 hours of their time making a difference to the community.

The evening culminated with the presentation of five special Active Citizen Awards. The winners included 15 year old Miles Montier, who received a standing ovation when he went up to collect his ‘Good Neighbour of the Year 2008’ award. When many boys his age fill their spare time with football and Playstations, Miles makes time each day after school to visit and help his disabled neighbour. Another young man, Mackie Bendu, has not let personal threats and attacks deter him from his work with gangs and peer education and deservedly won the ‘Community Group Member of the Year 2008.’ Peckham activist, Eileen Conn, was awarded as overall 'Active Citizen of the Year 2008' for over 30 years of commitment to and involvement in a whole host of local activities.

The evening was Community Cohesion in action with people of all different ages, faiths, ethnicity and backgrounds joining together to celebrate the fantastic contribution volunteers make to the borough. It can be easy to dwell on the bad things that go on in the world and it was uplifting and inspiring to hear about all the wonderful things people are doing in Southwark. The plush surroundings and entertainment by The Oduduwa Talking Drummers made the evening all the more special.

Photographs from the evening are available from www.helenmaybanks.com.

The video should be available by next week and we will let attendees know details as soon as we can.

The Active Citizens Award Winners

Citizen Governor of the Year 2008

Omar Faruk

Highly Commended:
Sheila Hamilton, Thomas White and Hilary Wines

Omar is a dedicated family man and an active member of Southwark Alliance, our Local Strategic Partnership. He is passionate about nature and the environment, leading by example to ensure family, friends and colleagues are climate conscious and adopt more efficient lifestyles. Omar is chair of Ecomuslim, a faith-based initiative set up to help tackle climate change, which he has supported with many hours of his time, and his own money.

Good Neighbour of the Year 2008
Sponsored by Southwark News

Miles Montier

Highly Commended: Ingrid Breteche-Sadou, Pat Notton and Alan Halliday

Miles is a very responsible young man who visits his disabled neighbour every day after school. He helps out by doing the shopping and any other tasks that his neighbour needs doing. Miles has been praised by social services for assisting them in being able to undertake repairs to the neighbour’s property. He manages to fit all this in around going to school, and at just 15 is a credit to young people in Southwark.

Community Group Member of the Year 2008

Mackie Bendu

Highly Commended: Lt Cdr Alan Phillips, Elspeth Trench and Nellie Chandler

Mackie is so committed to the group he works with that even personal threats and attacks have not diminished his enthusiasm. He has regularly attended the Southwark Youth Council over the past 5 years, and helps to recruit and support new members of the group. Mackie has been involved in research into gangs, peer education and has represented young people at a variety of community activities.

View-Giver of the Year 2008

Brook Zeramichael

Highly Commended: Jeremy Bennet, Ruth Mordi and Julie Speechley

Brook works tirelessly to ensure the views of people from different backgrounds are heard. He is a member of the London Civic Forum, and a founder member of World Remix – a group for young refugees in South London. He played a crucial role in organising the South-East London consultation on the Mayor’s Refugee Integration Plan. He has managed to fit all this in whilst studying at university and working in two different jobs. His nominator tells us he spreads peace and calm wherever he goes.

Keib Thomas Award for Community Activism in Southwark 2008
Sponsored by the former Mayor of Southwark, Cllr Paul Kyriacou.

Eileen Conn

Highly Commended: Peter Wright, Dana Anderson and Tessa Brown

Eileen has been active in the community for over 30 years. If she is concerned about an issue she is not afraid to speak up and take action to address it, no matter how big or small. In recent years she has been best known for her work to develop resident information and communication networks through setting up Bellenden Residents Group, Peckham Resident Communications Network and the Rye Lane Station Action Group.

Eileen has taken part, and encouraged others to take part in a wide range of consultations, such as around the Cross River Tram and it’s impact on Peckham. She has built up a mailing list of over 1200 residents in the Peckham area, which helps residents to be informed about and involved in local issues to improve life in the area. She has collaborated with local residents, artists and traders in developing Peckham Vision, which aims to work towards a more integrated town centre. She also a Street Leader in Bellenden. Her achievements are very diverse: from getting street signs changed, to participating in national conferences on Community Development.

Active Citizen of the Year 2008

Eileen Conn

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