Tonight the Wards Corner Community Plan won Best Community Campaign at the Sheila McKechnie National Campaigner Awards.
This award recognises 20 years of work by countless community members and organisations, beginning in 2003 when the Wards Corner buildings and Seven Sisters Indoor market were listed for redevelopment. We want to thank every single person who has been involved and contributed to this victory. The importance of no single contribution can be understated.
One of the judges of tonight’s awards, judge Gareth Clayton said: “This campaign was very local and very effective. But fighting against issues of gentrification, loss of heritage, and more gives this campaign national significance too.”
This award comes at a critical time for us, as we prepare to bid for a lease on the site for TfL. We hope that this recognition and platform will help boost our efforts to make the Community Plan a reality. Together, we want to show that another city is possible.
The Wards Corner Community Benefit Society is the vehicle through which we will achieve this. It will be the organisation that will restore and manage the Wards building, on a democratic, one member, one vote basis. Through this, the community will have collective control and stewardship of this vital community asset. The Wards Corner CBS is in the final stages of registration, and we will be sharing information on how to register as a supporter as soon as this is complete.
If you would like to support the community’s work as we move towards delivering the Plan, please consider making a donation. Donations of all sizes are pivotal in allowing us to deliver on our ambitions as we face this final challenge.