The 2026 Sutton Community Awards shortlist is out: 31 nominees across ten categories, picked from a record 404 nominations. Winners are named in November.
Updated 17 October: the shortlist has been published. Nominations closed on 18 September.
The council announced the shortlist for the 2026 Sutton Community Awards on 15 October. It received 404 nominations across the ten categories, more than ever before, it says (London Borough of Sutton, 15 October 2026). Winners will be announced at a ceremony in November.
The 2026 shortlist
| Category | Shortlisted |
|---|---|
| Marian James Community Champion Award | James Anthony McGregor; Dr Sahil Mukherjee; Jeff Richards |
| Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | The Dog Hut; Muslim Cultural and Welfare Association of Sutton; Tilly’s Preschool |
| Outstanding Volunteer | June Smith; Michele Rivers; Christine Nardiello |
| Outstanding Volunteering Group | St Raphael’s Hospice Donation Centre Volunteer Team; Wallington Little League; Volunteers at The Royal Marsden |
| Outstanding Young Person | Azaan; Veirra; Veronika and Inna |
| Voluntary and Community Sector Organisation of the Year | Advice Support Knowledge Information; Radio St Helier; The Fantastic Freddie Foundation |
| Sue Robson Trustee of the Year | Penelope Fox; The Shutes Foundation; Richard Grime |
| Community Health and Wellbeing Champion | Ryan Neuro Therapy Centre; Fiona Denton; Man Space; Sutton Team Sports Manager Volunteers and Young Sutton Residents |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Marilyn Gordon-Jones; Mrs Hill; Don Reader |
| Marlene Heron Tenant of the Year | Maggie and Patrick Curran; Colin Hawkins; Kim Sales |
Names are given as the council published them. The health and wellbeing category has four nominees; every other category has three. The awards are run by Sutton Council, Community Action Sutton, Sutton Housing Partnership and Volunteer Centre Sutton, with Everyone Active and Carew Academy as sponsors.
How the awards were set up
Nominations for the 2026 Sutton Community Awards ran until midnight on Friday 18 September. There are ten categories this year, and winners will be announced at a ceremony in November. (London Borough of Sutton)
One of those categories has a new name. The community champion award is now the Marian James Community Champion Award, after the former Wallington North councillor who died on 15 July 2026, days after the council granted her the Freedom of the Borough.
Nominations opened on 20 July and were made through an online form. Anyone who lived in the borough could put a name forward, and there was no limit on how many categories one person or organisation could be entered for.
The ten categories
- The Marian James Community Champion Award, for an individual or organisation driving positive change and a more inclusive borough
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, for work celebrating Sutton’s diverse communities
- Outstanding Volunteer, for one person who has gone beyond what was asked of them
- Outstanding Volunteering Group, for a team, including staff who volunteer together through a business
- Outstanding Young Person, for someone under 21, in academic, sporting, artistic or cultural fields, or community leadership
- Outstanding Voluntary and Community Sector Organisation of the Year, for a local charity, community group or social enterprise
- Sue Robson Trustee of the Year, for a trustee, board member or governor of a local organisation
- Marlene Heron Tenant of the Year, for someone improving the lives of social housing residents in the borough
- Outstanding Community Health and Wellbeing Champion, covering physical health, mental wellbeing and physical activity
- The Lifetime Achievement Award, for support given to vulnerable people over many years
Three of the ten are named after people who worked in the borough. Sue Robson was deputy director and later chief executive of Sutton CVS, now Community Action Sutton, and the trustee award was created to mark her work on governance in the voluntary sector. Marlene Heron was a Sutton councillor until she stood down in 2022, then joined the board of Sutton Housing Partnership, where the council says she was an advocate for tenants and leaseholders.
The award renamed for Marian James
Marian James was elected as a councillor for Wallington North in 2014 and chaired the People Committee from 2018 until she retired in 2026 after a cancer diagnosis. Before she was elected, she was the founding chief executive of Sutton Carers Centre. As a councillor she oversaw the opening of the first council-run children’s homes in London and a technology enabled care service for residents living independently at home. (London Borough of Sutton, 16 July 2026)
The Mayor of Sutton, Councillor Muhammad Sadiq, said at the time that he had “the huge honour of presiding over a special meeting of councillors to award Marian the Freedom of the Borough, the highest civic award the Council can grant”. She died at home the following evening, on Wednesday 15 July.
The council says the community champion category “has been renamed to honour the late former Councillor” and now recognises an individual or organisation that, like her, is “the driving force in creating positive change”.
How nominations worked
Nominations went through an online form. Each entry gave the nominee, the category and a written case for why they deserved it, judged against the council’s submission guidance.
Judging is by an independent panel, and a judge whose own organisation has entered a category steps back from judging it. Only what is written in the entry is considered, and the panel’s decision is final. Everyone nominated is told whether or not they have been shortlisted, though the council says it cannot give individual feedback on unsuccessful entries.
Shortlisted nominees will be featured in a digital campaign before the ceremony. Winners receive a commemorative award and a certificate, and are listed on the council’s website.
What it means for you
- If you know someone on the list, the council says shortlisted nominees feature in a digital campaign before the ceremony, so look out for their stories on its channels.
- Winners are named in November and listed on the council’s website. We will add them to this page.
- Thinking of nominating next time? Nominations for 2026 opened in July. Trustees are recognised separately from volunteers, and small groups often overlook that category.
- Questions about the awards go to communicationsteam@sutton.gov.uk.
Sources
- Sutton Community Awards shortlist announced!, London Borough of Sutton, 15 October 2026 for the shortlist, the 404 nominations and the sponsors.
- 2026 Sutton Community Awards: Celebrating Our Local Heroes, London Borough of Sutton for the ten categories, the renaming of the community champion award and the November ceremony.
- Sutton Community Awards submission guidance, London Borough of Sutton for the opening and closing dates, judging and what winners receive.
- It’s time to celebrate our local heroes!, London Borough of Sutton, 20 July 2026 for the partners and the quotes.
- Announcement on the death of former Sutton councillor, Marian James, London Borough of Sutton, 16 July 2026 for her record and the Freedom of the Borough.
- Sutton Community Awards nomination form for the category list and what a nominator must provide.
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