Published: Tuesday, 27th July 2021

A night of appreciation, celebration and welcoming... 

Last night (26 July), the Cutty Sark lent its deck to a thank you celebration for the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s COVID-19 heroes and for a belated welcome to the new Mayor of Royal Greenwich, Cllr Denise Hyland.  

The night included a performance from the NHS Choir, an award ceremony and speeches from the Leader of the Council, Cllr Danny Thorpe and past Mayor, Cllr Linda Bird.  

Leader of the Council, Cllr Danny Thorpe: “This event was a great opportunity to show our appreciation to those who selflessly put others before themselves over the past year, as well as welcoming in our new Mayor for 2021 to 2022. We are very privileged in the Royal Borough of Greenwich to have so many people to give thanks to, and to be able to host this event now that restrictions have been lifted.” 

Winners of the COVID-19 Response Champion Awards included:  

  • Metropolitan Police Service  
  • Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency, 

  • Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 

  • Panas Gurkha Restaurant 

  • Volunteer Centre Greenwich 

  • Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust 

  • Charlton Athletic Community Trust 

  • Charlton Athletic Football Club 

  • NHS South East London CCG (Greenwich) 

  • Berkeley Homes (East Thames) Ltd 

  • The 02 

Cllr Danny Thorpe, Cllr Denise Hyland and Cllr Linda Bird  NHS Choir

 

Mayor of Royal Greenwich, Cllr Denise Hyland: “The night allowed us to show our thanks to past Mayor, Cllr Linda Bird - she had a year as Mayor like no other and deserves recognition for her impact. It was such a lovely night to be able to see the faces of our local heroes in person and say thank you to them. I have had a most unfortunate start to my Mayoral year with breaking my femur, but am on the road to recovery. Whilst recuperating, it has given me the chance to see for myself the community spirit and love in Royal Greenwich.  I have also experienced the NHS at its best at Lewisham Hospital.  I was determined to attend the event to pass on my personal thanks to everyone.  I look forward to the rest of my Mayoral year.” 

All attendees were required to take a lateral flow test prior to the event, regardless of vaccination status. 

To see the spectacular event in all its glory, check out the full image gallery now on our Facebook page