Last Thursday, we held our annual Barnet Group Customer Awards evening… with a difference.  Usually residents and service users of Barnet Homes and Your Choice Barnet are the focal point of the event, on this occasion, even residents behind-the-scenes were a big part of making sure the awards were a night to remember.

The Customer Awards evening, held at Burnt Oak’s Sangam Centre,  was truly a community-centred affair. The setting was perfect for an evening which is dedicated to recognising the efforts of residents, service users and local community groups who contribute to making their communities better places to work and live.

For the past six months, we’ve been asking you to submit nominations for your fellow colleagues and community partners who make a truly fantastic contribution to people’s lives as well reaching their own personal achievements . It was a very tough decision to shortlist the eventual winners.

The evening was hosted by David Thomas, The Barnet Group’s Partnership Manager , who welcomed the newly formed Grahame Park Community Choir onto the stage to start the evening with three beautifully sung festive songs. The  Barnet Group’s newly appointed Chair, Eamon  McGoldrick opened the event and presented the first of the awards for the evening

The Deputy Chair of the Residents Performance Advisory Group, Aruna Bhatt, shared some of the groups achievements from the past year and encouraged fellow residents to get involved with community efforts and groups.

Plot 52, a special project created with service users from Community Space, who support adults with a wide range of learning disabilities,  grow fruit and vegetables on an allotment and make seasonal produce, decorated the venue beautifully with their festive hand-made centrepieces and candle lights.

Finally, our green-fingered residents who won a Finest Flowers Award earlier this year received their trophies for making the communal gardens, patios and balconies of Barnet Homes estates and properties bloom beautifully every spring and summer.

We would like to thank our contractors for their continued support in improving the lives of our residents and for sponsoring The Barnet Group Customer Awards 2019: AA Woods, Armstrong York, Effectable, Mears, Morgan Sindall Property Services, Procom, Raytell, Vallectric, WG Wigginton and R Benson, who won this year’s Social Value Contractor of the Year award

The evening finished on a very special note with a Thank-You party that all nominees, winners and community partners enjoyed. We appreciated the opportunity to talk to you and look forward to seeing you in 2020. It’s never too early to nominate a fellow resident for our 2020 awards, visit our website www.barnethomes.org

You can view all the winners on a YouTube link here.

Barnet Homes winners

 Good Neighbour Award: Dennis Manning

Young Volunteer of the Year: Michael Peters

Over 25 volunteer of the Year:Christopher Smith

Group of the Year: Rainbow Money Advice

Staff Choice: Andrew Hosking

Your Choice Barnet winners

Making Progress Award: Sarah Okeke-Aru

Good Neighbour Award: Paul Barton

Creative Excellence Award: Paul Charles Payne

Carer Contribution Award: Deirdre Hannington

Volunteer of the Year Award: Christine Porter

Staff Choice Award: Shuhana Uddin