More info on London Peace Week Awards....

Juliet my wife as we stood on the balcony of City Hall overlooking London Bridge

Looking glamorous but the wait made us extremely nervous!

City Hall got us really dizzy!

After the ceremony we celebrated the award!

The event was spectacular and well organised

Pastor Nims the chairman of the Peace Alliance was correct when he said "there were no losers at the event" and everyone there had a positive story to tell about their community work.

Our friends celebrated with us!

Wonderful views of London Bridge at night from across and above.



Enjoying the moment till the end.

Awesome image by the bridge.

Loyal friends are few and far between,



Father Francis Ackroyd presented me with my Trophy.  He is also from Ilford and will be working with me on a Peace week event this Saturday.  Come along to Vine United reform Church Riches Road from 14:00 - 18;00 and meet with us.

Here is what the Event Organisers said:

Boris Johnson praises community champions at London Peace Awards
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, this evening praised the brave and selfless Londoners who volunteer their time, skills or expertise to contribute to the safety and well-being of their community.
Speaking at the London Peace Awards, which were held at City Hall to mark the London Week of Peace (19^th – 26^th September), the Mayor honored Londoners of all ages, cultures and backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to creating peace, cohesion and positivity in the capital. The awards mirror Boris Johnson’s strong commitment to promoting volunteering across the capital and raising the aspirations of young people.
The Mayor presented the Londoner’s Peace Award (the Mayor’s Award) – for the individual who has made the most outstanding contribution to their community - to Patrick Regan, founder of XLP, an inspirational organization which engages with gang members, police and politicians to fight poverty, support education and serve hundreds of young people.
The winners of the other awards are as follows:

• Community Safety Award: Decima Francis founded ‘From Boyhood to Manhood Day Support Programme’ – a project which has been delivered to over 20,000 young people who were either excluded or at risk of being excluded from school and society at large.
• Diversity Award: Michael Kosmas founded the NXG project – which now reaches up to 5,000 young people - to mentor young people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Bridge Builders Award: Wilson Chowdhry is Chairman for the Redbridge Neighbourhood Watch Association and solves community anti-social behavior by acting as an interface between communities, ASBO and Police Teams in Redbridge.
• The Young Persons Award:  Darwin Bernadrdo founded NUTMEG, a community based organization helping young people to realize their potential through numerous events which engage hundreds of young people.
• Developing Real Examples and Mentors (DREAM) Award: Nilesh Badiani - a key player of Sai School of Harrow, a free weekend institution for children and young people from ethnic communities which promotes human values.
• Volunteer Award: Kay Oldroyd founded the Black Youth Achievement CIC in 2008, which promotes the positive aspects of young black people and hosted the first ever Black Youth Achievement Awards in November of 2009.
• Community Engagement Award: Michael Smith is an inspirational man who has been an immense catalyst for change in the community. His work Word 4 Weapons is a Christian based organization which involves putting knife bins in key places where people turn in their weapons. To date almost 800 knives have been binned.
• Parents Peace Award: Mimi Asher. Having started a project in her home, Mimi now uses a community hall to persuade people involved in gang culture in the estate to realign their life choices.
• Turnaround Peace Award: Chris Syrus is an ex-offender, poet and writer who mentors young offenders and young people in care.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:
‘In altruistic spirit, the Peace Awards celebrate the achievements of those who generously give their time and talent to making London a more harmonious and happy city. The initiatives which are championed by the Week of Peace help cut crime, build bridges between different faiths and cultivate a feeling of solidarity. I am proud to be involved in this exemplary event and I thoroughly recommend all Londoner’s get involved in the voluntary work it inspires.’


Rev. Nims Obunge MBE DL, Chief Executive of Peace Alliance, said:
‘In times of economic hardship, it is ever so important that we encourage and celebrate those who give themselves selflessly to create a better society. We all have something no matter how small that we can give back to improve where we live, work or play.’

The London Week of Peace and the Peace Awards marked their tenth anniversary this year. The London Week of Peace, which began in Haringey in 2001 and has grown to incorporate all 33 London boroughs, was set up by the Peace Alliance with the aim of organizing initiatives which increase community cohesion, reduce crime and raise awareness of community safety issues. The GLA provides funding for three key events across the week: the Peace Awards Ceremony, the Peace Debate/Multi-Faith Forum and the volunteering project.