The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, praised Londoners who volunteer their time, skills or expertise to contribute to the safety and well-being of their community.
A Bridge Builders Award went to Wilson Chowdhry, of the Essex-based guarding company AA Security. Among his other work he founded the Redbridge Neighbourhood Watch Association and seeks to resolve community anti-social behaviour by acting as an interface between communities, and ASBO and police teams in Redbridge.
Speaking at the London Peace Awards, at City Hall beside the Thames and Tower Bridge, to mark the London Week of Peace (September 19 to 26), the Mayor honoured Londoners of all ages, cultures and backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to creating peace, cohesion and positivity in the capital.
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 organisation 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 included:
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.
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.
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.”
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.
*You can read this article on Professional Security Magazine [Here]