The Barnet Eye Community Awards 2018

Every year at this time, the Barnet Eye makes awards to various people and groups within our community who have made an outstanding contribution over the last few years. Anyone can nominate a person or group for an award. If you've done great work, we want to tell the world. The two criteria is that the work must be recognisably for the good locally and the people doing it are seeking no accolades or recognition. This year, we think we've really excelled with our selection.

Here are the winners.

Barneteye Person of the year

Rev Helen Shannon

Nominated by Julia Hines

Citation: “ She and her volunteers have been providing help and support to residents on the Strawberry Vale estate, through gas and water cuts, for some time now, as well as helping to run Finchley Foodbank.  However, it was their actions on the night of the Willow House fire on the Grange estate, and in the weeks afterwards, that make her the winner. The fire broke out at midnight on 7 November. It took almost 4 hours, 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters to get it under control. Helen and her team opened the Green Man Community Centre, to provide the people evacuated with a warm place to go, gave them tea, food and comfort, set up space to sleep with air mattresses and sleeping bags, and went out to Tesco to buy clothes, phone chargers, food and toiletries for the 39 people who were made homeless that night.  At 6am the last of the residents had been found a hotel bed and she was there clearing up and planning for the next steps. In the days following she was the first point of contact for those residents, often visiting them late at night to bring emergency cash, supporting them in the Homeless Persons Unit and in meetings with Barnet Council and Barnet Homes, and helping to cook and serve two community lunches for the residents affected. 

Barneteye Charity of the year

Barnet Mencap

Nominated by The Mill Hill Rugby Club

Citation: “Barnet Mencap have been amazing in their efforts to get people of all abilities to enjoy Rugby and participate in the sport, through the mixed ability Rugby sessions. The scheme has proven that Rugby is fun for all”

Barneteye Pub of the Year

The Midland Hotel, Hendon

Nominated by Graham Ramsey & Save London Music Campaign

Citation: “The Midland has once again stepped up, cementing its place as an important music venue, community hub and a proper pub environment in an age of plastic pubs”

Barneteye Band/Artist of the Year

The Silencerz/ Nick Godwin

Nominated by Save London Music

Citation: “The Silencerz have made an amazing contribution to the Barnet Music scene this year, with amazing gigs, free to enter at venues such as The Chandos and The Bohemia. Nick Godwin deserves special mention as composer of much of their album and especially as an artist for designing the #KickOutCapita logo”

Barneteye Sports Club of the Year

Mill Hill Rugby Club

Nominated by Richard Logue

Citation: “For the second year running, Mill Hill Rugby Club exemplify what a community sports club should be. They have been at the heart of the local sporting community for decades. The scheme with mixed ability rugby scheme Mencap is groundbreaking”

Barneteye Community Event of the Year

North Finchley Music Festival

Nominated by The Save London Music Campaign

Citation: “ For the second year running, staging an event with 50 live bands at six venues was a monumental achievement. The Roll on next year”

Barneteye Campaigner of the year

Mark Amies

Nominated by The Barnet Eye

Citation: “Mark has worked tirelessly fighting for the preservation of The Railway Hotel in Edgware and The Midland in Hendon. His knowledge of industrial heritage has this week been rewarded with a regular slot on BBC Radio London”

Barneteye Local Campaign of the year

Save The Midland Campaign

Nominated by The Save London Music

Citation: “An amazing campaign, supported by the whole community including religious leaders, pub regulars, our local MP, GLA rep and Councillors”

CITATION FOR COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION

MILL HILL AND COLINDALE LITTER PICKERS

 Nominated by Mr Colin Izzard

Citation: “The local litter picking groups have made an enormous contribution to the communities in Mill Hill and Colindale, giving up their time for the greater good of our community and environment”

Many thanks to Mill Hill Music Complex, The Day of the Raj and  The #SaveLondonMusic Campaign for the amazing raffle prizes. £70 was raised for Mencap Barnet towards their scheme for Mixed Ability Rugby