Safer London Foundation Volunteer Awards 2009

To help celebrate 25 years of National Volunteers Week (1st -7th June), Safer London foundation wanted to recognise an outstanding volunteer in the fields of reducing or preventing crime or fear of crime, or supporting victims of crime, with the first Safer London foundation Volunteer Award.

Winners

Winner: Janis Wharton, Spires Streetlink
First Runner Up: Barry Duckett, Rotherhithe Angling Club
Second Runner Up: Kelly I'Yare, Youth Empowerment Solutions
Special Award: Jennifer Blake, Eternal Life Support Centre

Short-listed Nominees

Lynn Costello, Mothers Against Murder and Aggression
Douglas Craik, Kingston Volunteer Centre
Nigel Harris, Camden LGBT Forum
Mel Hudson, Howbury Friends
Ray Hudson, Bexley Neighbourhood Watch
Linda Roberts, Catch 22

The winner of the inaugural SLF volunteer award was announced at a thoroughly chic ceremony held on Wednesday 3rd June 2009. The venue was the impressive Candy Bar at the Westminster Global HQ of Candy and Candy, famous for the One Hyde Park development, Chelsea Barracks and staunch supporters of the Foundation.

The room, (which the Candy team refer to as the ‘staff canteen') with its polished black marble floor, bespoke black ash furniture and voluptuous silver drapes, provided an impressive backdrop for the awards announcement and presentation.

 
     Tony Shepherd with Winner Janis Wharton and Nick Candy who presented the award

The 10 short-listed nominees and their nominators were all invited to attend; other guests included volunteering co-ordinators from some of the Foundations biggest corporate supporters and SLF staff.

The programme included a tour of the Candy's model room (the ‘Candy and Candy Experience') personally conducted by Nick Candy. Inside sparkling glass cabinets are the most intricately detailed architectural models of prestige construction projects the Candy's have been responsible for around the world. Live entertainment took the form of a cappella performances by Renika and Young Mo from the Eternal Life Support Centre (ELSC) in Peckham, where SLF funded the installation of a sound studio in 2007.

Jennifer Blake and Nick Candy before the presentations   

The Special Award went to Jennifer Blake of ELSC. The project provides practical, emotional and psychological support for young people and parents covering a wide range of issues facing young people. These include challenging behaviour, gangs, drugs, low self esteem and much more. Jennifer was responsible for single-handedly creating ELSC five years ago and until a more recent SLF grant did all this as an unpaid volunteer.

 

   Singers Renika and Young Mo with Jennifer Blake following her presentation

Second Runner Up went to Kelly I'Yare of Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES) working with young children who are gang affected or thinking about entering into gang activity and their aim is to try and prevent this from happening. Kelly has been volunteering at West Norwood based YES for the last three years. Unfortunately events at YES meant she was unable to attend the ceremony and her award was collected on her behalf by Jill Andrews, SLF Operations Director.

 

Barry Duckett was First Runner Up. Barry is known to SLF for his work running the Rotherhithe Angling Club which provides a positive focus for young people in this community, but is involved in many voluntary activities in Rotherhithe including organising the Rotherhithe Festival, co-chairing the Rotherhithe Safer Neighbourhood Panel and chairing the Rotherhithe Neighbourhood Housing forum.

     Barry Duckett photographed when SLF trustees visited his fishing project in 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Barry was unfortunately out of the country celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary on the day of the ceremony but the award was collected on his behalf by the new Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Jeff Hook.

 

 

 

 

 Councillor Jeff Hook, Mayor of Southwark  

 

 

The SLF Volunteer Award winner was the amazing Janis Wharton from Spires Streetlink in Streatham. Janis found out about the support that Spires Streetlink provides to sex workers during her time as a substance misuse worker in Lambeth. In this role she became involved in a weekly sexual health clinic for sex workers. From this experience she decided to volunteer on Spire's outreach service. This was a weekly commitment between 9.30pm-1.30am supporting and getting to know sex working women in the community who would then use the clinic.

 

 

     Janis Wharton giving her acceptance speech

 

 

In 2007, Janis started working for CRI (Crime Reduction Initiative) as an arrest referral officer but continued with the huge commitment she has made to Streetlink, volunteering after a demanding days work, during unsociable hours helping sex workers make positive choices and move towards an exit from sex work.

 

 

Janis Wharton and Pamela Mazava of Spires in Streatham   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Janis also attended Mayor Boris Johnson's volunteer awards event held at City Hall the following day to recieve a further certificate as part of Volunteers' Week 25th anniversary celebrations.

 

 

 

 

 

   Mayor Boris Johnson with Janis at the City Hall Presentation