Mike was delighted to have been able to accompany Anna Maughan, recipient of the Community Champions programme award, to a reception at No. 10 Downing Street hosted by the Prime Minister to thank community volunteers for their work.
Community champions (also known as health champions) are community members who volunteer to promote health and wellbeing or improve conditions in their local area. Champions use their social networks and life experience to address barriers to engagement and improve connections between services and disadvantaged communities.
Anna is the vice-chair of the Finchley Foodbank, which was set up in 2013 to help meet the needs of the local community. Since the pandemic, it has vastly expanded its services, and now provides food for hundreds of clients every week.
Anna herself has been responsible for recruiting volunteers, organising rotas, sourcing food, and raising money for the foodbank. She ensures that clients are welcomed and respected, and takes extra time to encourage clients and volunteers.
She is instrumental in organising the foodbank to operate seven days a week, and her contribution to help the most vulnerable in our community in need of support is highly commendable. Anna is a credit to her friends and family, and to the people of Finchley.
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