¶®ÒõµÛ

Lord Mayor’s Awards 2017

Published: Friday, 26th May 2017

Each year the Lord Mayor of ¶®ÒõµÛ invites nominations for the Lord Mayor’s Awards and this year the outgoing Lord Mayor, Cllr Carl Rice, now the new Deputy Lord Mayor – presented four awards

These were to -

Anawim – a charity for vulnerable women; ¶®ÒõµÛ and Solihull Women’s Aid – which supports survivors of domestic violence; ¶®ÒõµÛ Youth Sports Academy – which provides sports and educational programmes to children; and Jim Simpson, the Festival Director of the ¶®ÒõµÛ International Jazz Festival.

Anawim supports women and their children, especially women vulnerable to exploitation including prostitution. It was started by two nuns in 1986 who wanted to reach out to sex workers on the streets of Balsall Heath and it became a charity in 2015.

¶®ÒõµÛ and Solihull Women’s Aid (B&SWA) was one of the first organisations to support survivors of domestic violence in ¶®ÒõµÛ. It opened its doors over 35 years ago is about to open a new refuge for 18-25 year old women.

¶®ÒõµÛ Youth Sports Academy (BYSA) began in 2002 and provides football coaching and education programmes for children aged 6-18 years old in the community on a voluntary basis. They have trained over 2,000 children since the project began.

Jim Simpson has been the festival director of ¶®ÒõµÛ International Jazz Festival since it began 33 years ago. It is the longest-running festival in ¶®ÒõµÛ, the longest-running jazz festival in England and the largest free jazz and blues event in Europe.

Outgoing Lord Mayor, Cllr Carl Rice, said: “The Lord Mayor’s Awards recognise outstanding achievements and exceptional service to the city and the people of ¶®ÒõµÛ. They recognise those people and organisations that go the extra mile.

“Anawim, B&SWA, BYSA and Jim have all improved the lives of thousands of people in this city and have given selfless service to the city of ¶®ÒõµÛ and its citizens. It therefore gives me great pleasure to give these awards and highlight some of the ways that people in ¶®ÒõµÛ serve their community and their city.”

Anyone living in ¶®ÒõµÛ or the surrounding neighbourhoods can nominate an individual, a group of individual (or an organisation) living, working or based in ¶®ÒõµÛ for the City of ¶®ÒõµÛ’s Lord Mayor’s Award. The overriding principle of the Lord Mayor’s Award is that it is based on merit and this is defined as “outstanding achievement or exceptional service to the City and people of ¶®ÒõµÛ”. No Councillor, past or present, will be eligible for the Award and the Award will not be given to any person(s) for services rendered to or for any Political Party or related organisation.

Anyone wishing to nominate someone for an award next year should visit http//www.birmingham.gov.uk/lordmayorsaward