The nominations are in and it’s time to vote for your pandemic hero in the Health and Care Champion Awards
SPOTLIGHTING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PAULINE TOWN, KIM ROGERS AND CHARLENE BURNS, AND HUMANSMCR, THE HEALTH AND CARE CHAMPION AWARDS CELEBRATE THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE PANDEMIC
response has been phenomenal.
500 nominations for this year’s
ealth and Care Champion Awards, the shortlist has been announced. 36 individuals from organizations
S, various local authorities, charities, care homes and many other sectors have been shortlisted across 12 categories. These are: Volunteer champion, wellbeing champion, returning champion, student of the year, leadership champion, key worker champion, innovation champion, inclusion champion, community champion, collaborative champion,
The nominations were reviewed by a panel of representatives from our public services, as well as patient representatives.
The panel narrowed the nominations down to the final
The GM Champion Awards,
ealth and Social Care Partnership, are the only Greater Manchester-wide awards to recognise those who regularly go the extra mile to improve the health and wellbeing of the people
This year’s awards are that extra bit special, as we recognise those who have gone above and beyond during
the pandemic; from health and care staff to key workers, volunteers and
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “I am pleased ealth and Care
“They are even more special this year, as we are able to recognise everyone who has gone above and beyond during the pandemic.”
“The last 18 months have been an incredibly hard and challenging time, especially for those working on the frontline in health and social care and those volunteering in their improving the lives and outcomes of people across Greater Manchester.” Sir Richard Leese, chair of the ealth and extremely challenging for everyone. These awards show that there are clearly so many people out there who, every day, are risking their lives to help people in our region
“I’d like to wish those shortlisted the very best of luck. To everyone that was nominated remember that you are all champions.”
VOTE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS
Place your vote for the community champion that you feel made the most impact to their community
the pandemic.
PAULINE TOWN
Since 2013, local landlady and community activist Pauline Town has tirelessly worked to support she has been landlady for three decades, Pauline spent over five months setting up his personal independence payments and onours list this year, for services
Pauline said: “I am absolutely honoured and gobsmacked to be
I do it, I just want to help people.”
KIM ROGERS AND CHARLENE BURNS
Kim and Charlene set up R in 2017 to provide activities,
). They promote the principles and best practice of asset-based community development (ABCD) and they use social and behavioural learning to encourage positive role modelling, social interaction and
L aims to promote social inclusion and responsibility along with improving the safety, recovery,
During the pandemic, the pair continued to go above and beyond
They handed out food, household items and toiletry packages to help people save money and put it
Come rain or shine, they sang, danced and played games in the
so that they never felt isolated
At Christmas, they gave out hundreds of toys so that no children
family financial difficulties and
They set up a ‘feel good’ group for those who wanting to lose weight through encouragement, which focused on mental and emotional wellbeing rather than just the scales. Kim Rogers explained: “Setting
L CIC in 2017 has both been challenging yet the most rewarding
“We wanted to make a difference in our community, provide an inclusive and bespoke offer that meets individuals’ needs and
“We have had the honour of meeting such wonderful people
seen many lives transformed for
“The collective people who make
L are incredible, passionate and caring people who have really gone above and beyond, especially during the pandemic.”
“Supporting others and delivering carried out in the communities
a company that was responsive to people’s needs, gives opportunities to real people and to never be about ticking boxes, we turn boxes on their head and that makes a diamond which is our logo.”
“We can all shine if given the chance. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to live a purposeful life.”
HUMANS MCR
umans MCR, set up by friends Lewey and Rachel, had barely found its feet as an organisation when they launched their ‘coronavirus care GM’ campaign, the first food poverty charity in the region to
launch a doorstep delivery service of emergency food and
Recognising the challenges that Covid-19 was about to have on the vulnerable members of our communities, on March 16,
umans MCR started to collect prescriptions, complete bespoke shopping trips and operating a befriender service to check in on clients, alongside their doorstep
Lewey and Rachel were able to pull together a team very quickly
those who were experiencing difficulty – some completing deliveries on their lunch break or
They shopped, packed, and delivered every day and between March 2020 and April 2021, and delivered a staggering 65,000 meals
Many of those volunteers because of the positive impact it has
Lewey said: “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for this
“Last year, we announced our ambitious new agenda to begin to break the cycle of generational food poverty for vulnerable families across Greater Manchester.”
“Covid-19 meant that we had to put that on hold to support people through the crisis, this saw us deliver almost 65,000 meals in the first 12 months of the pandemic.”
“This nomination is a great tribute to our incredibly committed and fantastic volunteers and supporters, without whom none of this would have been possible. Congratulations also to our fellow nominees.”
To find out more about the