Islington’s unsung heroes, volunteers and community champions have been recognised for their hard work with an evening of celebrations at Islington Assembly Hall.
Residents and family members of winners joined councillors last night to celebrate the Mayor’s Civic Awards and Ben Kinsella Award recipients.
The winner of the Ben Kinsella Award 2019 was Shauna Maragh, a 15 year old who is championing women’s rights, mentoring young girls about violence against women and volunteering with Solace Women’s Aid. The Ben Kinsella Award is presented to an outstanding young person each year in memory of Ben Kinsella, who was murdered in 2008.
The Mayor of Islington Cllr Dave Poyser presented Civic Awards to:
Sadia Ali – started the Monitor Matters charity to support BAME young people with their educational progress. Sadia tirelessly campaigns on youth crime in Islington and supports the Somali community.
Irene Francis – an active member of her Tenants and Residents Association. At 90 years old she supports local councillors and residents to tackle local issues and is invested in reshaping and developing the community.
Jane Garfield – founder of The Toy Project, which provides toys to children from low income families, children’s hospital wards and therapy centres. She is also a member of the Archway Town Centre group who raise money for improvements to the local area.
Dot Gibson – secretary to the Islington Pensioners Forum. She has campaigned tirelessly for all pensioners in the borough and across the UK, leading campaigns on housing and supporting Windrush victims.
Steve Griffith – a youth worker practitioner who has dedicated his career to improving the lives of young people in the Cally. He has played a key role in steering vulnerable young people away from criminality.
Mick Havens – chair of the Eagle Recovery project which supports people experiencing alcohol and substance misuse issues. Mick is a long-standing supporter of his local community and participates openly and constructively with the council to make the borough a better place.
Jessica Plumber – whose son was stabbed to death in January 2015 now visits schools to try and guide young people away from carrying knives. Jessica has spoken to more than 4,000 young people and adults in schools and churches.
Mayor of Islington, Cllr Dave Poyser said: “The awards represent a fantastic opportunity to showcase the very best of Islington.
“As we have seen tonight, it is people from all walks of life, young and old who dedicate their time to making this a great place to live and improving the lives of others.”
Ramzy Alwakeel, Editor of the Islington Gazette, which sponsors the awards said: “It’s such an honour for us to sponsor the civic awards and I always look forward to helping choose the winners.
“Reading about the wonderful, selfless people in our borough and the remarkable work they do quietly behind the scenes is a real tonic. Everyone who was nominated has made a difference – they have saved and transformed loves, put smiles on faces, given their neighbours a voice. They are Islington’s superheroes, and they prove there is such a thing as good news.”
