The annual Civic Awards ceremony was hosted at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday.
The Mayor’s Special Award went to Shaun Dellenty, who founded the Inclusion For All project.
Shaun, who is deputy head teacher of Alfred Salter Primary School in Rotherhithe, launched the project in 2010 as an initiative to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.
Inclusion for All has since become a London and UK-wide movement that is helping to tackle gender and LGBTQ stereotyping, homophobic bullying and the use of related derogatory language.
The now former mayor, councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle paid tribute to Shaun for his “personal courage and foresight” and offered “lasting gratitude” on behalf of children whose experience of bullying will be reduced.
The Honourable Award was given to the Peckhamplex cinema, and presented by outgoing mayor, Cllr Dixon-Fyle, to the Plex’s chairman John Reiss and directors Simone Brown, Marianne Gray and Rakesh Makhech.
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club also featured prominently in the awards. The club’s Supporters’ Trust board member Darren McCreery received the ceremonial scroll, and the award for the “The Liberty of the Old Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell,” was bestowed on ‘Dulwich Hamlet Football Club Volunteers’.
The 130-years-old Pembroke House in Walworth was also given Honorary Liberty for its 24 projects that instil community engagement, long-term learning, health and wellbeing into the community.
Honorary Liberty awards were also given to the following:
- Zahra Abdalla, who established the Aylesbury Everywoman’s Centre in 2001
- Nihaya Al-Othmani, for her services to the refugee community in Camberwell
- Alan Chadborn from Bermondsey, who volunteers in 10 local projects, including: Bluegrove Nursing Home, Galleywall Nature Reserve, Surrey Docks Farm, Southwark Foodbank
- Diana Cochrane, T&RA chair of the pullens estate, and key member of the Walworth Society
- Frank Gillman, for his work with the Beormund Community Centre
- Miranda Mercado Gregory of Camberwell, who founded the We are Family Southwark adopters group
- Paul Keefe of Bermondsey, who was the driving force in delivering the Albert McKenzie VC memorial
- Marion and John Marcroft, who have been foster parents to 70 children in the borough
- Martin McCable, who founded a free park exercise session open to all levels of ability for stroke survivors, MS sufferers
- Susan Parker, Who is chair of the Pelier Estate T&RA
- Jamie Mehmet, who runs the Docklands Junior Football Club
At the ceremony, the dean of Southwark Cathedral, Reverend Andrew Nunn paid tribute to William Shakespeare’s death and founder of the Rose Theatre, Philip Henslowe, who both died 400 years ago.