Winners - Good Relations Awards 2027

1st Place Winner

Good Relations Volunteer of the Year Award ・ 2023

Adekanmi Abayomi

Adekanmi Abayomi, LLB (Hons) is the Founder and Chair of EMSONI – Ethnic Minority Sports Organisation Northern Ireland. He is a Social Justice Advocate and a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. As a long-term racial equality activist, his campaign work, promoting good relations and equity through sports remains precedence for policy makers to leverage upon in formulating equitable strategies for all, providing a voice for the marginalized to achieve justice and fairness within and beyond legal and policy frameworks. Adekanmi is an astute volunteer with multiple awards for his voluntary contributions to the promotion of social action, social justice and community cohesion, diversity in sport and sport development in Northern Ireland. His work with EMSONI and other community led initiatives is focused on the principles of empowerment, human rights, social inclusion, social justice, self-determination, and collective action.

Highly Commended

Good Relations Volunteer of the Year Award ・ 2023

Dr Mukesh Chugh

Mukesh started a community group Indian Hindu Association which has successfully organised many festivals and community gatherings. He has conducted workshops in schools and colleges about Indian art, culture and heritage to promote interfaith harmony. Mukesh has gone above and beyond to make a lasting impression on Community Relations in the Northwest. For example, his inspirational and persuasive efforts have been recognised over the years for the following: – Mayor’s Volunteer Recognition Award at the Guild Hall in Derry/Londonderry. – Derry Journal People of the Year Award for contribution to arts and culture. – Finalist in Supervalu Superstar Award for going the extra mile in community work. – Key Worker of the year 2021 from Derry Journal.

Highly Commended

Community Relations Council Exceptional Achievement Award (peacebuilding) ・ 2023

Maureen O'Gorman

From the inception of Maureen’s career in youth work, she has helped young people to participate in Good relations programmes, Latterly with a greater emphasis on T:BUC, Maureen has the developed the capacity of a huge range of youth workers, teachers, young people and organisations to develop Good relations programmes and enhance the learning experience for young people. This has a massive impact on the youth work sector, schools and the wider society in Northern Ireland. Maureen’s work has been inspirational to many young people.

Highly Commended

Good Relations Community Champion Award ・ 2023

Mary Lafferty

Mary Lafferty has made an outstanding contribution to building good relations in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area. She is an exemplary good relations community champion who leads by example. She has been to the forefront of cultural diversity work primarily with the Syrian community, and now with the Ukrainian refugees. She provides practical support, education, signposting, mentoring, and leadership. She worked with new communities, and the local community, to foster respect and understanding.

Highly Commended

Good Relations Volunteer of the Year Award ・ 2023

Hazel McGuigan

Hazel Mc Guigan has dedicated her life to helping others, promoting understanding and breaking down barriers. She is an exceptional community ambassador with a passion for affecting change. As Chairperson of Campsie Community Association, she voluntarily manages the Campsie Hub which offers a weekly timetable of activities, including mental health programmes, arts and crafts, multicultural projects, youth initiatives, community drop-in facilities and a community gardening project. Hazel is an outstanding leader who represents the community sector on several regional groups, fearlessly lobbying for the betterment of the general Omagh area. She is an active member of Fermanagh and Omagh Interfaith group and chairs the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership in Omagh. She works closely with a wide number of community and statutory organisations and makes a very positive contribution to building positive relations across all sections of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

1st Place Winner

Good Relations Connecting Communities Project of the Year Award ・ 2023

Dennett Valley Healthy Network

Donemana in the past has been perceived as a fractious village, but Dennett Valley Healthy Network (Damien Devine) has been working tirelessly to develop a shared space for all the community. Before there was no shared space in Donemana so there were no opportunities for people to mix. The Network adopted an old parochial hall that was deemed as a contested space. It has now been turned into a shared space with a workshop, allotments and animals in which the men’s shed and hen’s shed come together to make woodwork, tend to their allotments and develop friendships, organically developing new friendships and respecting everyone’s views and opinions.

Highly Commended

Community Relations Council Exceptional Achievement Award (peacebuilding) ・ 2023

Mary Hogg

Mary has been at the forefront of women’s issues and empowerment in Mid Ulster for 23 years. Very much an advocate for Peace, Reconciliation and the peace Agreements, she has taken many personal risks in promoting good relations in Mid Ulster. She has encouraged those in isolated and single identity and faith communities to come together. She has encouraged those that had lost loved ones during the conflict to reach out to the ‘other side’ and to understand the roots and origins of the conflict. Mary is devoted to building a better, safer, more inclusive community for all.

Highly Commended

Good Relations Connecting Communities Project of the Year Award ・ 2023

Limavady High School and St. Mary's High School, Limavady

The Limavady Shared Education Campus is the first project of its kind in Northern Ireland and was born out of The NI Executive’s Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) Strategy published in May 2013. By creating a new campus for schools to share, the pupils and staff of both schools continue to work and collaborate together to create an improved sense of community within the Limavady area. The Limavady Shared Education Campus is a trailblazer within Shared Education and thanks to the hard work of everyone involved it is clear to see the benefits that come from working together as a community. Through Limavady Shared Education Campus, the schools are committed to ensuring that any investment would benefit as many pupils in the area as possible, in addition to providing enhanced opportunities for further engagement between the schools and the wider community.

Highly Commended

Good Relations Community Champion Award ・ 2023

Orla Hawkins

Orla formed a group of young people from the Ardoyne/New Lodge area and Shankill area in Belfast City who meet each week to build relations and trust amongst each other. Orla provided a space where children come from these areas to share their living experiences and build friendship through team outings and in-house discussions. She is currently looking into how she could continue to extend this programme further with this young group.

1st Place Winner

Community Relations Council Exceptional Achievement Award (peacebuilding) ・ 2022

Dr Éamon Phoenix

The political historian and well known broadcaster Dr Éamon Phoenix received the 2022 Good Relations Award from the Community Relations Council (CRC) at an online gala event attended by peers, peacebuilders and government representatives. Dr Phoenix continues the lineage of inspirational local peacemakers who are recognised for their lifelong achievements by CRC’s Good Relations Award since its inception in 2006.