Last week, Kingston's voluntary and community organisations joined together at All Saints Church for the borough's Celebrating Communities Awards 2026.

Now in its third year, the event recognises the amazing contribution of volunteers and communities across the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Over 200 guests attended to celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals, teams and organisations in eight award categories; Unsung Hero, Volunteer Impact, Young Volunteer, Community Team, Lifetime Achievement, Community Innovation, Greener Community and Fairer Community.

The event was hosted by Louise Footner, Executive Director of Residents and Communities, Kingston Council and Sanja Djeric-Kane, CEO, Kingston Voluntary Action.

Footner said: "As always, the Kingston Celebrating Communities Awards was such a lovely event that really showed what makes our communities in Kingston so great.

"I was honoured to be invited to present the awards with my colleague Sanja and to see such a range of volunteers and community groups recognised this year.

"I was truly touched by how much it meant to them to receive an award for their outstanding achievements.

Djeric-Kane added: "It is always an absolute honour to spend an evening celebrating the very heartbeat of our community - people who give their time, skills, talent and hearts to make a difference in Kingston.

"With 96 nominations recognising individuals and teams across the borough we have seen first-hand the remarkable breadth of work taking place in our community.

"Collective commitment to continue shaping a fairer and more resilient borough was echoing around beautiful All Saints Kingston throughout the event, making everyone a winner."

The award's Winners and Highly Commended groups included:

Community Innovation Award

Winner: Ariadne's Thread Group Team

Highly Commended: Staywell

Community Team Award

Winner: RBKares Volunteer Team

Highly Commended: Kingston Cadets

Fairer Community Award

Winner: Kingston Mencap

Highly Commended: RBKares Wellbeing Team

Greener Community Award

Winner: Queen's Promenade Friends

Highly Commended: Damon Hart-Davis - Kingston Environment Forum, Transition Town Kingston

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: Anne Cann - Staywell

Highly Commended: John Bangs - Kingston Carers Network

Unsung Hero Award

Winner: Rajitha Cruz - Malarum Ithayanga

Highly Commended: Amanda Simner - Kingston Young Carers

Volunteer Impact Award

Winner: Patsyann Rose - Barnfield Riding For The Disabled

Highly Commended: Thomas James (TJ) Brackley - Family Hubs

Young Volunteer Award

Winner: Isaac Myhill - Man & Boy

Highly Commended: Carolina Glass - LEAH / Learn English At Home

This year, a special Legacy Award was also presented for the late Ann Macfarlane OBE, in order to recognise her extraordinary contribution to independent living, disability rights, and the Kingston community through decades of leadership, tireless advocacy, and unwavering commitment to equality and inclusion.

The awards were sponsored by Places Leisure and coordinated in partnership by Kingston Voluntary Action, Kingston Council, All Saints Church, Kingston Carers Network, MIND, Refugee Action Kingston, Korean Senior Citizens, Kingston Citizens Advice Bureau, Kingston Centre for Independent Living and Volunteering Kingston (Groundwork).