An incredible group of volunteers who have selflessly supported their fellow Londoners during the Covid-19 pandemic have been recognised for special awards by the Mayor Sadiq Khan.
This year’s Mayor of London Volunteering Awards celebrated the work of the dedicated Londoners and community groups who have given their time, skills and resources to support their communities and neighbourhoods throughout the pandemic.
From hundreds of nominations spanning the length and breadth of the city, 13 winners were chosen in three categories: crisis response, delivering differently and community champions, plus the Mayor of London Young Londoners Awards.
Those honoured included
• a local collaboration between the Gospel Temple Apostolic Church, Tottenham Food Hub and Felix Project, who have been providing food to communities in Enfield and Haringey
• Roconect – an organisation that provides domestic violence support and mentoring services to vulnerable members of London’s Romanian community.
• Islington Mind, which engaged people recovering from mental health issues to provide support to local residents experiencing mental ill health
• Selsdon Covid-19 Response Team – a mutual aid group that coordinated the collection and delivery of food, medicine and other essentials during lockdown
All winners received £5000 in funding to support the continuation of the work of the organisation that nominated them.
The Mayor is a long-standing champion of the voluntary sector and volunteering is a key component of his social integration strategy. Sadiq encourages all Londoners who are able to seek out opportunities to serve their communities via the Team London website.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “These incredible volunteers reflect the very best of our city and, their vital contribution was needed more than ever this year.
“That is why I am so proud to celebrate and help support the organisations affiliated with this year’s winners. They have all risen to the occasion in a uniquely testing year and, on behalf of all Londoners, I want to say a heartfelt thank you. Our volunteering awards are a real highlight of the year - allowing us to recognise the inspiring, committed and selfless Londoners who help make our city the greatest in the world.
Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Debbie Weekes-Bernard, said: “London’s voluntary sector is the beating heart of our capital and, at City Hall, we have been working actively to make volunteering more accessible.
“This year’s response to the global pandemic from volunteers across the city shows the importance of Londoners being active citizens.
“The award winners and all volunteers across the city have played a huge role in supporting us through a difficult time, and I would like to thank them all for their immense contribution and hard work.”
Photo by Philafrenzy, Wikimedia commons.