Newham Mag issue 241 (pdf)

18
Our super six are going
Since January, you have been nominating residents to receive one of the most talked about
prizes we have ever given away - money-can’t-buy tickets to the 2012 Olympic Games. With
less than 150 days to go until the Opening Ceremony we showcase six lucky residents that
demonstrate they are beacons among our many shining lights and worthy Inspiring People.
Employment and training
– Simon Reddecliffe
Despite several
serious illnesses, ,
which led to
mental health
problems,
Simon has
defi ed the odds
and is back at
work – and is
helping others
to do the same.
After using
volunteering as a way of f getting tti bback k
into work, Simon’s dedication, talent
and personality landed him a job with
Thames21, which looks after London’s
waterways. Last year Simon took over
the charity’s mental health project,
encouraging people with a history of
mental illness to volunteer through
weekly gardening sessions. In his own
way, Simon is making a difference to the
lives of all the people he works with and
comes across.
Community – Daniell Hambrook
Daniell is proof
of that good
neighbours not
only make good
friends but also
build stronger
communities.
When she’s
not running the
Neighbourhood
Watch Group
and Residents’
Action Group, Daniell i ll represents her h area
in meetings with the police and council.
A St George’s Day event that she
organised at Kensington Primary School in
2010 proved to be such a hit that last year
she brought the community together to mark
the Royal Wedding with a street party which
was attended by 500 people. The event
also raised £1,250 for the Royal London
Hospital’s Children’s Critical Care Unit.
Whether a neighbour wants help with
translation or assistance with writing a
letter, no request is too much for this
community star.
Sports – Sivakumar Renganathan
When it comes
to TaeKwonDo,
few can claim
to match
Sivakumar
achievements.
The martial
arts expert has
created Gurumu
TaeKwonDo,
currently ranked
number one
club in the country. Thanks to his constant
encouragement and persistence, his
students have represented Great Britain
across the country and in Europe; in 2011
his team won fi rst place at the British
National Championships.
Sivakumar was appointed the cadet
coach for the National Academy and
coached the GB national team at the
2011 European Championships –
something he is still doing today. As well
as being a role model to his students for
many years, Sivakumar is now offi cially an
Inspiring Person.
Volunteering V
– Barbara Landey
For Barbara retirement meant the
beginning of a new chapter – in more
ways than one.
Beginning as
a volunteer at
the Volunteer
Network Centre
(VNC) based
in Emmanuel
Parish Church,
E7, she was
known for
going the extra
mile. Helping
others became a passion i for f Barbara B b
who left the VNC to volunteer at Earlham
Primary School, E7, providing reading help
to children who needed extra support.
When illness threatened her community
work, Barbara worried that she might
have to give up volunteering but despite
all this she overcame ill health and
returned to school to continue the work
she is so passionate about, making her
an inspiration to young and old.
Achieving potential – Katie Blake
If you were one
of the tens of
thousands of
people that
attended last
year’s World
Skills event
at ExCeL you
have Katie
to thank for
help making it
happen.
A Newham Volunteer l t for f almost l t ten t
years, volunteering at almost 500 events,
Katie began fl ying the fl ag for our borough
when she was part of the group that
presented ExCeL to the International
Organising Committee as a potential
venue for the 2012 Games. They were so