Do you know a local hero? Someone who make a real difference to others through their work, volunteering, achievements or something else? Ealing Council wants to know.
By nominating someone, they could be in line to get an award – or even receive the Freedom of the Borough, which is the highest accolade the council can give to an individual.
They could be a successful sportsperson, artist or musician from the borough, or an everyday hero who works to support their community and make our borough a great place to live.
Once nominations have been received, they will be considered by the council’s Civic Honours Committee in the autumn.
Lots of ways to recognise them
You can play a role in making sure as diverse a range of local heroes are nominated as possible. The committee will consider all nominations and provide a shortlist.
Some will be awarded Freedom of the Borough if they have given exceptional service to the borough. Others who have made contributions to the community will be honoured with a Mayor’s Award. And the council aims to hand out these honours in the new year.
Freedom of the Borough was awarded in 2022 to England footballer Bukayo Saka, from Greenford; and has been offered to a second local footballer: double Euro winner Chloe Kelly, from Hanwell.
The council is also currently working on a public art plan for the borough, which goes out to consultation later this year, and this plan could include the celebration of local heroes, like Chloe, and identifies spaces in our towns for these.
As part of the Civic Honours, there are also the Mayor’s Awards certificates that are presented in person by the mayor of Ealing. And there is also the possibility of naming a road or building after someone.
For nominations that identify someone whose impact has gone beyond the borough and has wider significance, the committee will consider applying for a national honour (like a CBE or OBE) through the national honours process.
‘Not something that sits on the mantlepiece’
But nominees don’t have to have made grand contributions. They could also simply have worked hard locally to make a positive difference to the lives of their community. Nominees can be alive, have passed away.
The first time the Civic Honours were run, in 2023, a pair of new council housing buildings were named after Edna Wilkie and Magdalen Carter. They had both independently set up supplementary school classes for children, in particular of Caribbean heritage, supporting hundreds of young people in the borough.
When the Civic Honours were rebranded in 2023, council leader Peter Mason said: “We don’t want these awards to be something that just sits on the mantlepiece. We want some of them to be out there in the world.”
Make a nomination
To nominate someone, you can simply fill in the form available on the council’s website by 31 August 2025.
