Volunteers honoured at the Kingston Communities Awards

The work of voluntary and community organisations from across the borough were showcased at the Kingston Celebrating Communities Awards 2024.

The event was held in recognition of the amazing contribution of volunteers and communities across Kingston at All Saints Church in Kingston Town Centre.

Over 300 guests attended to recognise outstanding achievements under eight award categories including unsung hero, volunteer impact, community fundraiser, young volunteer, community team, working in partnership and lifetime achievement.

Emily Forey, winner of the Young Carer Award, said: “I volunteer for Kingston young carers, I am a young carer. For me it means giving back to other young carers and making a difference to their lives.”

The event was hosted by Louise Footner, Executive Director of Residents and Communities, Kingston Council and Sanja Djeric Kane, CEO, Kingston Voluntary Action.

Louise said: “The Kingston Celebrating Communities Awards was such a lovely event that really showed what makes our communities in Kingston so great. I was honoured to be part of the awards and it was amazing to see some of the contributions people had made to our borough and what it meant to them to receive an award for their outstanding achievements.”

Sanja said: “It was a joy and privilege to welcome over 300 Kingston volunteers and community members at the Kingston Celebrating Communities Awards 2024. I can’t remember seeing so many faces with genuine smiles for a very long time. The atmosphere at All Saints, who kindly hosted the event, was electrifying. To repeat what someone else said on the evening, everyone there was a winner.”

The awards were coordinated in partnership by Kingston Voluntary Action, Kingston Council, All Saints Church, Kingston Carers Network, MIND, Refugee Action Kingston, Korean Senior Citizens, Kingston Citizens Advice Bureau, Kingston Centre for Independent Living and Volunteering Kingston (Groundwork).

The award winners:

Unsung Hero AwardTracey O’Shea, Kingston

Churches Action on Homelessness (KCAH)

Young Volunteer AwardEmily Forey, Young Carers

Community FundraiserSarva Kumararajah, Centre for the Healthy Mind (Tamil Community Development)

Community Team AwardThe Kingston Talking Newspaper

Working in Partnership AwardRefugee Action Kingston Community Hub / RBKares

Volunteer Impact AwardSheena Crankson, Fast Minds

Lifetime achievement AwardPatricia Monro, Refugee Action

Kingston and Beverley Wan, Kingston Chinese Association