The Love Hackney Awards
Celebrating the unsung heroes of Hackney
The Love Hackney Awards recognises some of the borough’s most inspirational individuals and organisations.
This year’s winners were chosen from more than 750 nominations across ten categories that capture the breadth and depth of the many people who help make Hackney the place it is.
The Love Hackney Awards 2025 winners
-
Mayor's Lifetime Achievement Award
Charmain Humphrey
Charmain has dedicated over 26 years to serving the Hackney community earning a reputation as a true “unsung hero.” For over two decades, Charmain has been a cornerstone of Hackney’s youth services, especially through her work with Immediate Theatre.
Nominees:
Hyacinth Myers
Jacqueline McCaffrey
-
Social Enterprise of the Year Award
Hackney Wick Community Sauna
A not-for-profit outdoor sauna and cold plunges located in Hackney Wick, providing affordable sessions and paying their staff a London living wage. Putting the community first, these fabulous spaces are so much more than your average sauna/community bath.
Nominees:
Luminary Bakery
Fashion for Future
-
The Love Hackney Award
Juliet Coley
Born and raised in Hackney, Juliet Coley is a trailblazer in education and literature. A former Senior Deputy Headteacher turned award-winning children’s book author and publisher, her dedication has transformed lives in Hackney classrooms and beyond.
Nominees:
Joseph Roberts
Jun Mo Generations
-
Volunteer of the Year Award
Joel Gibbons
A dedicated volunteer supporting young people, his peers, and the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) community, Joel Gibbons works with Immediate Theatre supporting four Estate-Based Youth Theatres (EbYTs), a drama club at Stoke Newington School, and two SEND groups — The Indie Project and Huddleston.
Nominees
Roy Cherubin
Elif Keles
-
Hackney Business of the Year Award
Arbeit Studios
Arbeit Studios provides affordable creative studio space for artists, designers, small businesses, and start-ups. They create spaces that empower their users to interact and connect as part of a community.
Nominees:
The De Beauvoir Deli
Secret Smokehouse
-
Community Group of the Year Award
Core Landscapes/Core Arts Volunteer Project
Transforms underused land in urban areas into hubs for community engagement through horticulture, design, workshops, training, and events - improving mental and physical health and community wellbeing, increasing biodiversity, and addressing climate change.
Nominees:
The Mentoring Lab
National Parents & Youth Open Forum
-
Greener Hackney Award
Core Landscapes/Core Arts Volunteer Project
Transforms underused land in urban areas into hubs for community engagement through horticulture, design, workshops, training, and events - improving mental and physical health and community wellbeing, increasing biodiversity, and addressing climate change.
Nominees:
Stokey Energy
Tree Musketeers
-
High Street Hero Award
A&S Cycles
An independent, family-run business serving the Hackney and wider East London for more than three decades.
Nominees:
Ridley Road Social Kitchen
Only the Brave
-
Young Hackney Award
Cameron D-S
At just 11 years old, Cameron led a successful fundraising campaign to raise nearly £3,000, which was used to purchase school uniforms for over 100 local children.
Nominees:
Cameron D-S
Xara S
Romeo B
-
The Good Neighbour Award
Cameron D-S
At just 11 years old, Cameron led a successful fundraising campaign to raise nearly £3,000, which was used to purchase school uniforms for over 100 local children.
Nominees:
Rose Lewis
Immediate Theatre
Let’s celebrate the unsung heroes that make Hackney a great place to live and work.
This year, we received 753 nominations across 10 award categories. This phenomenal result demonstrates the amazing work and contributions made by local volunteers, community organisations and small businesses that make Hackney a great place to live and work.
Love Hackney Awards FAQs
-
Yes, you can nominate yourself for any of the award categories.
-
If you are a Hackney resident or work in the Hackney area, you are eligible to apply for the Love Hackney Awards.
-
Yes! This is a new format to the previous Mayor's Civic Awards, so the judges would not have seen previous nominations.
-
Yes! There is no limit to the number of categories that you can enter and nominations are free. However, you cannot enter the same category more than once.
-
Yes, there is a max word limit of 650 words (one page of A4).
-
All nominations will be shortlisted by a panel of at least 3 judges. Judges have 4 weeks to agree on a shortlist of 3 nominees per category.
-
For each category, there are at least 3 judges who are leading experts from the sector associated with the category.
-
You can enter online or use the application form included in the October issue of Love Hackney magazine (out 10 October) and drop this off at the nomination box located at Hackney Central Library.
-
All submissions should be based on projects finished and achievements made over the last 12 months. However, historic evidence can be provided for the Mayor's Lifetime Achievement Award.
-
The shortlist of nominees will be invited to attend the Love Hackney Awards ceremony at Hackney Town Hall in February 2025.
Submit your nominations for the Love Hackney Awards
Nominations are now closed.