13 Dec Winners of Hammersmith Heroes 2021
The BID is delighted to announce the winners of our Hammersmith Heroes campaign for 2021!
Many fantastic nominations were received in our search for acts of kindness, support and exceptional hard work in the Hammersmith and Fulham community throughout this year.
Nominations were sought from businesses, residents, retailers and charities and we were grateful to receive a wide selection of stories and recommendations – making the judging even more challenging.
Four winners for 2021 were chosen, and an additional four entries were Highly Commended.
Our winners include Avril Payton, a volunteer with Fulham Good Neighbours. Avril’s activities to support the local community have included a weekly shared reading group attended by up to eight older people in their 80s and 90s. During the Covid-19 pandemic Avril continued her support for the group, and she completed hundreds of telephone befriending calls to the members, during which she would read them a poem, chat and catch up. As well this, Avril found the time to organise a Silver Lunch Club, again for older residents, in a local restaurant.
Ian Hill, of St Paul’s Church, was nominated for being the “heart and soul” of the Church, but particularly through the challenging period of COVID when normal activities were curtailed and staffing levels cut back. Ian delivered over 200 meals to vulnerable locals in Hammersmith in his spare time, and worked tirelessly to keep the church open and running as a hub for the community.
Steve and Vicky Lawrence were nominated together, having volunteered with Glass Door Homeless Charity, as part of the Rivercourt Methodist Church night shelter volunteer team, for almost 20 years. The two have been managing volunteer team rotas, coordinating food purchasing and cooking, and generally managing a large and active volunteer team that is a key anchor in the night shelters, which are of such importance to the area’s homeless. They were described as “true local heroes”.
Another pair of volunteers received our fourth prize. Michael Dipple and Anna McInulty are Chair and Secretary, respectively, of Linacre Court Tenants and Residents Association (TRA).
Amongst other activities, they have implemented measures to deal with anti-social behaviour; and enhanced the life experience of the children and young people of Linacre Court, most recently through their growing vegetables initiatives; and collecting and distributing food to ensure residents have enough to eat.
They also support isolated neighbours and help those with financial difficulties understand how to manage their money – and successfully raised funds to make a community hall a reality.
You can read more about our winners, and also those Highly Commended as a Hammersmith Hero 2021, here.