On the 7th of June, Community Southwark welcomed over 150 volunteers and community group staff to the Tate Modern, for Southwark Stars 2024.
This year was made extra special by a diverse range of electrifying performances and incredible art, representing the vast talent and skill of Southwark.
Guests were welcomed to the space by Henri Gaobi, a master of the traditional music and dance of the Gouro community of Ivory Coast. The evening then kicked off with an electrifying performance by Southwark-based Djembe artist Jah Dia Folila, who wowed the audience with rhythms from Senegal, Mali, and Guinea.
We’ve never seen so many phones out to capture South London Samba who gave us an amazing performance bringing Latin, Brazilian, African and Caribbean rhythms, getting people up from their seats and dancing. Later in the night, School of Dance Talentos CIC wowed us with a joyful and elegant performance drawing on Colombian folklore and traditional dance, salsa and bachata.
We were lucky enough to have an incredible display of Latin-American costumes from Latin Age UK brightening the space with colourful and detailed costumes showcasing the vibrant culture which plays such an important part in Southwark. We were also delighted to premier a trailer for a new documentary, telling the story of the Latin-American community in Southwark.
Artist group, Wonky Paper at Bede House filled the space with their colourful Ridiculous Party project, an innovative and inclusive exhibition taking the form of a dinner party table filled to the brim with beautiful and larger than life sculptures based on a dinner party.
Southwark College presented an incredible showcase of their student’s talent, with a wall full of art in paint, sculpture, and collage from local students.
Our Community, Our Voice showcased their community arts project with an incredible textile art piece themed around housing and other topics by artists at Dene Community Centre, Denmark Hill, The Rockingham Estate Community Centre and The Crypt St George’s Food Bank.
As well as our incredible winners we had presentations of certificates to amazing Volunteer Champions who were nominated by voluntary and community groups across Southwark for their dedication to supporting Southwark communities,
We also recognised the amazing volunteers and activists of the Healthwatch Ambassadors Program for their volunteering to inform, empower and support our community by increasing access to healthcare.
We want to thank our incredible sponsors who made Southwark Stars 2024 possible. They are: Hillier Hopkins LLP, Astrum Wine Cellars, (BSC Electrical and Building Services) Ltd, Flora Fine Wines, Community Health Ambassadors Network, Healthwatch Southwark, SE London ICS, Lewis Silkin LLP, Mercarto Metropolitano, Meridian West, Peckham Settlement, Southwark Charities, Southwark Council, Policy in Practice, ZS Associates, Ocado.
2024’s Southwark Stars winners
Caroline Croft, CEO of Southwark Charities, awarded, Encarnita Hernanz Gonzalez, Older Volunteer for the Year for her translation support at Parent Action, and her dedication and compassion in supporting families.
Daniel Campbell, youth worker and Community Southwark trustee, celebrated Niquel Mettle as Young Volunteer of the Year for his inspiring volunteering at Elevated Minds.
This year saw a record number of applications for the Keib Thomas Active Citizen Award, honouring the legacy of Keib Thomas. His wife, Madhumita Bose, presented the award to Brenda, volunteer at the Imperial War Museum, for bringing history to life with her childhood memories of WWII London.
Ola Stephen, CEO of LOVO, awarded Dave Rinaldi at Time and Talents, Volunteer Coordinator of the Year for his exceptional work in supporting their volunteers and befriending services.
Mariama Korrca Kandeh, Director of Autism Voice, awarded Disabled Volunteer of the Year to Ciaran Bailey, who contributed an astounding 2,000 volunteer hours to Bede House’s Inside/Outside project.
Trustee of the Year was presented by Jeff Burnige, Peckham Settlement trustee, to David Owen KC who for over 12 years has been a Trustee for Breathe Arts Health Research, co-creating their flagship programmes, the award-winning evidence-based Breathe Magic Intensive Therapy Programme (BMITP).
Corporate Partner of the Year was presented by Community Southwark to Hillier Hopkins for their ‘Know Your Numbers’ accountancy workshops which helped so many groups get to grips with the important fundamentals of accounting.
Community Group of the Year was Presented by Jasmine Awad and Serena De Biase from Mercato Metropolitano to Elevated Minds for their work empowering young people, their schools and their families through accredited personal development programs and group coaching.
Charity of the Year was presented by Jessica from Step Out Mentoring to the amazing Disability Sports Club for their work demonstrating the community inclusive sports can create.
Sponsored by Policy and Practice, the Supporting Residents During the Cost of Living Crisis went to the wonderful team at Share the Cost Global CIC for their work supporting local residents with respect and dignity.
A new award for 2024, The Sustainability Award, sponsored by and presented by BCS Electrical and Building Services, was won by Wrayburn Community Organisation for their work on a number of eco-initiatives, including planting 35,000 daffodil & tulip bulbs on grass areas around the estate.
