Three people and a team of volunteers who have made a difference to their communities have been honoured in the Nottingham Awards 2024.
Now in its 11th year, the event was held at the Ice Centre in Nottingham last week following the historic 728th official Goose Fair Dinner.
Sponsored and paid for by LETS Move Nottingham, the awards were held on the eve of the Goose Fair opening to celebrate those who have helped to make Nottingham the great city that it is, with each winner making a lasting contribution.
The Goose Fair Dinner was hosted by the Leader of Nottingham City Council, Cllr Neghat Khan, and attended by more than 120 guests including Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood and Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden – along with LETS Move Nottingham Managing Director Michael Khouri-Bent.
The winners for 2024 were selected from more than 50 nominations:
Winner: Robert Ghahremani
Robert received the Nottingham Award for his work to promote inclusivity in sport. As head coach of the Nottingham Lions Wheelchair Basketball club, he has created an inclusive environment that welcomes people both with and without disabilities. He founded Mind Over Matter to help people reach their desired fitness goals and challenge stigma around disability. Robert has supported Nottingham City Council’s Leisure team for many years on a variety of projects. He shows his commitment to inclusivity by creating opportunities for people with disabilities to be active and in supporting organisations and other industry members to make meaningful change.
Winner: The Friends of Wollaton Park
The Friends of Wollaton Park was established in 2013 and has logged more than 16,000 hours of volunteer time, with between 30 to 40 volunteers of all ages. The group has made an impact on projects in the park and hall that would not have happened without the work of the volunteers. The restoration project of the Walled Garden is a highlight that involves many people – with partnerships developed with schools, colleges and the university to bring extra help into the site. Progress is outstanding. The Nottingham Award was presented to representatives Helen Mitchem, Shobna Bazzaz, Kevin Beswick and Andy Jackson.
Winner: Tranai Todd
Tranai is a remarkable young man who is already making a significant contribution to our city. At 20, he is a young leader who has had a big impact on the city in a short space of time, thanks to his tenacity, energy, self-belief and unwavering vision for young people in Nottingham. As a teenager, Tranai demonstrated his leadership skills as a volunteer for community projects, including the Pythian Club and the Nottingham City Youth Cabinet. Here he discovered a passion for helping children and young people overcome adversity through focused sport and fitness activities and having their voices heard. At just 17 years old, he set up Support Through Sport, an organisation that delivers sports-based interventions to thousands of children and young people across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Tranai is involved in the Child Friendly Nottingham initiative, helping Nottingham become a UNICEF UK Child Friendly City. He is a mentor and role model to many and represents everything that is good and positive about young people in the city.
Winner: Barbara Bates
Barbara Bates has been the driving force behind Bulwell Forest Gardens since it was just an idea in 2011. Barbara’s energy and fundraising skills have been a major factor in the development of the project from its infancy to what it is now. It has developed from a piece of spare ground to a thriving community organisation that provides social prescribing placements, toddler groups, forest schools, lunch clubs, school holiday activities and produce for volunteers and the community.
Cllr Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “The Nottingham Awards are a wonderful way to recognise those who make a significant contribution to our city.
“All of our winners have done great things for our city and the people who live here so it is important that we take the opportunity to thank them on behalf of the many people who have benefited from their efforts.
“The Goose Fair Dinner is an historic tradition, and I am pleased that we can continue to hold it through sponsorship at no cost to the council.
“I would like to thank the sponsor Michael Khouri-Bent through LETS Move Nottingham. Without sponsorship and donations, we wouldn’t be able to hold events like this to recognise and honour those who make this city a great place.”
The Goose Fair runs from Friday 27 September to Sunday 6 October 2024.
