Have You Seen a Scheme That Deserves an Award?

---

Hammersmith Society invites nominations for best local projects

The Hoxton Hotel on Shepherd's Bush Green short-listed for the top Environment Award

May 5, 2023

Have you spotted a scheme in Hammersmith or Shepherd’s Bush that deserves to be praised? Or maybe it’s just the opposite and you have come across a local eyesore.

Either way, the Hammersmith Society wants to hear from you as it seeks nominations for its prestigious annual Environment Awards, which give prizes to the best local projects - and the dreaded Wooden Spoon to the worst.

The society says the purpose of the awards, which have been running every year since 1989, is to recognise improvements in the borough’s townscape, whether a new building, an imaginative renovation or adaptation of an old building, the creation or improvement of a green open space, a well-designed streetscape, an improved shopfront, or the removal of an eyesore.

Anyone living or working in Hammersmith or Shepherd’s Bush is invited to make nominations before the closing date of 19 May.

Schemes must have been completed within the last two to three years and must be visible from the public highway or accessible to the public.

The committee usually short-lists the nominations and visits them in mid-May and the winners will receive a plaque and a certificate presented at the society’s AGM, usually held in early summer.

There are five categories: the coveted main Environment Award given to the development which the society feels best meets its ideals; the Nancye Goulden Award, given to smaller projects which have improved the environment in some way; the Tom Ryland Award for Conservation; the Jane Mercer Award for initiatives which have involved pro-active cooperation, collaboration and communication; and the Wooden Spoon, given to eyesores or projects that just got it all wrong.

Some projects have already been short-listed. The stylish new Hoxton Hotel on the west side of Shepherd’s Bush Green has been short-listed for the top Environment Award and guerrilla gardening project Askew in Bloom, organised by residents Olena O’Leary and Bryan Furlong has been short-listed for the Nancye Goulden Award.

Askew in Bloom has been short-listed for the Nancye Goulden Award

Hammersmith & Fulham Council meanwhile has been short-listed for the Wooden Spoon, for not living up to it’s ‘greenest borough’ mantra and ‘doing things with and not to residents’ manifesto, by consenting to the demolition of Ada Lewis House in Barons Court against local opposition and allowing the destruction of mature trees around the building.

Ada Lewis House as it is currently

H&F Council was also awarded a Wooden Spoon last year for failing to keep new street trees alive, while winners included the restored Palladium in Shepherd’s Bush and Hammersmith’s Elder Press Cafe. You can see a full list of past winners and make your nominations for year’s awards here.

Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.