We are delighted to announce the winners of Southwark Stars 2024!
Charity of the Year – Disability Sports Coach
Congratulations to Disability Sports Coach! They have won Charity of the Year. Who are they?
‘Club Southwark is a sports club with a truly inclusive feel. It’s age inclusive with members attending from the age of 14 through to adult and it’s inclusive of every disability. Members’ disabilities include autism, ADHD, Down’s syndrome and Tourette’s but Club Southwark isn’t about our members’ differences, it’s about what unites them – and that’s a shared love of sport!’
Community Group of the Year – Elevated Minds CIC
This year the Community Group to be celebrated is Elevated Minds CIC! The group empowers young people, their schools and their families through accredited personal development programs and group coaching.
Focused on ages 10-18, they target school refusers from low-income, primarily Black Communities. Elevated Minds’ goal is to address the high rates of Black heritage children excluded from school and becoming NEET or worse turning to gangs and criminal activity.
Corporate Partnership of the Year – Hillier Hopkins
Hillier Hopkins have shown an outstanding commitment to sharing resources, skills and time with the VCS. Their ‘Know Your Numbers’ accountancy workshops have helped so many groups get to grips with the important fundamentals of accounting and 92% of groups said the support they’ve given have helped them make lasting and impactful changes to their organisations.
A workshop participant describes the “amazing workshop! I got all the answers to my questions and I have an understanding of what I need to do in relation to my accounts going forward.”
Supporting Residents During the Cost of Living Crisis – Share the Cost Global CIC
Congratulations on the Share the Cost Global Cost for their resilience and superpower to give people dignity, in their time of need. They provide a marketplace where food can be purchased at a cheaper cost than in local shops and there’s more – they support people in financial emergency!
Over the past 4 months, STC Global has successfully referred over 2,500 Southwark residents for the cost of living fund. A nominator describes the ‘amazing team of people, supporting local residents with respect and dignity. The genuine connection and care is truly felt and appreciated’.
The Sustainability Award – Wrayburn Community Organisation
The future looks better with Wrayburn Community Organisation! The first-ever award for sustainability is given to this eco-inspiring organisation. Let’s look at some of their biggest achievements:
- Planting 35,000 daffodil & tulip bulbs on grass areas around the estate.
- installing 25 bird boxes to promote local nest homes.
- WCO has successfully been awarded a number of grants from Cleaner, Greener Safer & Tideway funds.
Disabled Volunteer of the Year – Ciaran, Inside/ Outside project Volunteer at Bede House
Congratulations to Ciaran for winning Disabled Volunteer of the Year! Ciaran has given over an amazing 2000 hours of volunteer service for Bede House! Let’s hear what the centre has to say about it:
‘Ciaran is lively, enthusiastic, always keen to help his local community and brings a smile to our older householders . By volunteering for this project Ciaran has a huge sense of achievement and has the opportunity to be the provider of support rather than being the one who receives it.’
Kieb Thomas Active Citizen – Brenda, We Were There Volunteer at the Imperial War Museum
The next person to celebrate is Brenda! Welcome the winner for Active Citizen, Brenda, who has been a consistent volunteer of shared memories from her childhood during WW2 at the Imperial War Museum.
A truly Southwark resident, sharing life moments happening in the area during a tough period but now, the pupils and families can draw a line between Brenda’s memories and what the streets look like today. What a shared experience!
Older Volunteer of the Year – Encarnita, Translation Volunteer at Parent Action
A warm congratulations to Encarnita for winning ‘Older Volunteer of the Year’. She is being celebrated for her outstanding service and dedication at Parent Action. Encarnita has a key presence in bringing dialogues and different languages. Let’s get to know about her volunteering role:
‘Encarnita offers her expertise in translation and interpretation, bridging the language gap and ensuring that everyone has equal access to essential services and information. She brings a wealth of life experience, wisdom, and a genuine desire to make a difference. Her dedication to supporting families promoting communication, and empowering parents exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and embodies the values that this award seeks to honour’.
Trustee of the Year – David, Breathe Arts Health
Congratulations to David, for winning Trustee of the Year! For over 12 years David has been part of the Chairman, Trustee and Advocate for Breathe Arts Health Research but what you don’t know is that David is also a magician!
David’s expertise in Magic, he co-created with Breathe one of our flagship programmes, the award-winning evidence-based Breathe Magic Intensive Therapy Programme (BMITP). This programme helps children and young people with hemiplegia (a weakness or paralysis affecting one side of the body as a result of brain injury or stroke) through the art of magic.
Young Volunteer of the Year – Niquel, Young Ambassador for Elevated Minds CIC
Congratulations to Niquel, for winning Young Volunteer of the Year! Elevated Minds is proud to have Niquel championing the organisation and its values. Let’s hear more from Elevated Minds:
‘Niquel is soon to go to university and is working extremely hard to get the A Level grades that he wants and deserves. An incredibly kind, welcoming, determined, and aspirational young man, Niquel has served himself, Elevated Minds, and the community exceptionally.’
Volunteer Coordinator of the Year – Dave, Volunteer Coordinator at Time and Talents
Congratulations to Dave for doing a wonderful job as a volunteer coordinator at Time and Talents! It has been six years and Dave has pushed forward always new ways to make the community and volunteers engaged. Here’s a look:
‘Since 2021, all COPSINS partners have found it more and more difficult to recruit volunteer befrienders for older people in need. This past year, Time & Talents was the only organisation who did not close to new befriending referrals – because of the strength of Dave’s recruitment and training, we were able to keep matching new befriending pairs all year long.’
Volunteer Champions and Healthwatch Ambassadors
We’ll also be recognising amazing volunteer champions and the Healthwatch Southwark’s Ambassadors Network.
