A ceremony for the awards took place at Catford Mews on 16 September which our residents were invited to join. We’re delighted to announce the winners below, along with the citations.
Awards were presented in the following categories: Resident of the Year, Covid Heroes, Young Person of the Year, Tenants’ and Residents’ Association of the Year, Digital Champion, and Contractor of the Year.
‘We were delighted to be able to hold the resident awards in person this year,’ Alys Exley-Smith, Lewisham Homes’ community relations manager, said.
‘The venue was full of so many incredible people who have done so much for their communities during a particularly challenging 18 months. I want to thank everyone that nominated and the award sponsors and a big congratulations to all the winners and nominees.’
Lewisham Homes board chair Ainsley Forbes, pictured above, noted that the awards represent ‘all the good things that Lewisham Homes does routinely.
‘It was a very inspiring event where residents have showed how much they actually care about each other.’
Jon Kanareck, Lewisham Homes’ director of resident services, commented: ‘It was a wonderfully uplifting event which was well attended and had a really nice vibe to it. We heard lots of great stories from users of our services and how they had benefitted from the projects and support from the community engagement team.
‘Congratulations to the award winners and all of the nominees.’
Winners
Resident of the Year (sponsored by FFT): Tanya Leighton – ‘Tanya received several nominations for her work to support young people, particularly those struggling with their mental health. She also set up and delivered a project to ensure low income families had access to shoes. She’s a real credit to Lewisham and we don’t know what we’d do without her support.’
Covid Heroes (sponsored by Mulalley): Lewisham Mayoresses (Dawn Atkinson, Christina Norman and Natasha Ricketts) – ‘These ladies have tirelessly supported the local community, families, elders and beyond, pre and during the Covid pandemic.
‘They have changed lives and destinies as well as given comfort and peace of mind to as many as well as ensuring alleviating food and supporting pastoral needs and social exclusion for local residents of all ages. Thank you!’
Young Person of the Year (sponsored by Smith & Byford): Grace Cooper – ‘For her quick thinking to prevent a fire in her building’ & Kieron Morris – ‘For his hard work to support young people in Lewisham. Under Kieron’s direction, Rezon8 will help young people make friends, build their confidence and improve their life chances.’
Tenants’ and Residents’ Association of the Year (sponsored by BSW): Honor Oak TRA (HOTRA) – ‘Honor Oak TRA haven’t stopped during the pandemic, ensuring that residents are supported throughout, providing access to food and someone to talk to. They are always planning events like outings and parties which bring the community together.’
Digital Champion (sponsored by Ideal Boilers): Damian Griffiths, Catbytes – ‘Catbytes are amazing. They do so much to support residents with every aspect of going online from loaning laptops to supporting residents to get online. They’re a great organisation to have in Lewisham.’
Contractor of the Year: Engie – ‘For listening and being supportive to residents. They are polite and hardworking and value residents opinions.’
LH Staff member of the Year: Carlos Burke (caretaking team manager) – ‘Carlos is always putting in extra hours to respond to us and even on his holidays is friendly, approachable and has a great can-do attitude.’ & Piotr Ruszel (caretaker) – ‘Piotr deserves a medal for the work he does.’
Honourable mentions, TRAs and residents:
Bampton TRA – ‘Throughout last year, when we weren’t able to attend events, the Bampton TRA still gave happiness to the children on the estate.’ ‘Bampton TRA work endlessly providing updates on the estate, new noticeboards for residents to keep informed, the TRA Community Hall has had a face lift and is even provided as an update hub for our new windows with contractors on site.’
Evelyn TRA – ‘Keith goes above and beyond his duties, and will help anyone in the community whether the problem is big or small and if he can’t provide the answer he will normally put you in touch with someone that can’
Shim Whicker – ‘She gave so time to help in the Evelyn community food store giving food and advice to all. She is always a shoulder for everyone to cry on.’
Johanne Huggins – ‘She always goes above and beyond for the children on the estate. She is a real gem.’
Kat (Standlake Point) – ‘Kat has driven the Leaseholders Alliance and regularly meets with and contacts all leaseholders as well as meeting with Lewisham Homes Directors and Staff to improve living conditions.’
Ivan Markov – ‘He’s always there for a chat, he cares what’s going on in the estate. He’s constantly gardening, growing fruit and vegetables for the people on the estate to eat. He’s one of the nicest persons to talk to and get on with.’
Honourable mentions, Lewisham Homes staff:
Steven Harris (repairs advisor) – ‘I have been consistently impressed with the quality of his responses, and his readiness to identify and help tenants in need.’
Simon York (compliance contracts manager, electrical) – ‘Simon is always going over and above in his role.’
Emilio Scozzafava (community relations officer) – ‘Emilio has been really helpful supporting the Lewisham Changemakers programme.’
Arlinda Pali (customer services advisor) – ‘Always prompt to reply to emails/IMs and calls and polite and approachable’
Linda Brathwaite (administration officer) – ‘Linda is so hard working, reliable and helpful always willing to assist others and is a pleasure to work with.’
Mariusz Borysowski (caretaker) – ‘They go over and above their duties. They do their work so well you can always tell it was done by them. They CARE. The best caretaker we have had in 40 years.’
Simone Brown (team support assistant) – ‘She goes above and beyond to do her job, she uses empathy, common sense and integrity.’
Olubunmi Idowu (ASB officer) – ‘Bunmi is amazing. She always put in the extra time at the end of every day to help.’
