LDN London last week held an awards ceremony to thank staff for their extraordinary work during the pandemic.

Gabby Machell, Chief Executive of LDN London and Lynne Peacock, Chair of Trustees, gave gold medals to 23 staff members who were chosen by their colleagues.

The event took place at The Glasshouse on the Lock Hotel in Camden on Wednesday 24 August.

Earlier this year, LDN London handed out silver medals to all staff members for their amazing contribution to LDN London and the people they support.

At the Covid Heroes Gold Awards last week – voted for by staff –  LDN celebrated people who went far beyond what was expected of them and showed incredible bravery and commitment during the crisis.

The winners included people across LDN – from new support workers to people working in human resources and facilities departments, to care home managers and senior staff – who worked during this unprecedented time.

Read about our making a difference award or find more news from Learning Disability Network London here.

Speaking at the event, Gabby Machell praised LDN London’s staff: “The pandemic shone a spotlight on you: the humble, selfless, dedicated people who do extraordinary things every day as if they are ordinary. This evening is testament to the brilliant job you all do and is a small piece of the recognition you deserve.”

Lynne Peacock said, “The past years have been the most trying in the 60-year history of our organisation. Words do not do justice to the resilience and strength of character that you have all shown during these most difficult of times. We are immensely proud of the way that LDN London has dealt with the pandemic.”

There were lots of tears, as well as a shared sense of relief and joy, as we heard about the many stories of courage, dedication, and compassion from team members at LDN London.

One award winner, who is a support worker, summed up the evening: “I think we all felt the warmth and compassion and love for what we do. It is truly a privilege to be with like-minded staff who put their heart and soul into our role.”

Congratulations to the award winners: 

Alexandra Lizardi
Bola Fashina
Catiuscia Bernardini
Chinwe Okagbue-Orji
Evelyn Ampiah
Fiona Stallwood
Gabby Machell
Jennifer Ryan
Jenny Kelly
Josephine PetrieMarcin Ladosz
Mandy Crowford
Ngozi Nwuzi
Patricia Dacres Sinclair
Peggy Musonda
Rebecca Wilson
Rochelle Jarman-Letang
Samantha Iglikowski
Simona Tocco
Steven Luckie
Tim MacIntyre
Tracey Boswell
Val Duah