Twelve winners, from DAVSS to a lifetime achievement award for Jan Berry, were honoured at Sevenoaks District Council's Making it Happen Community and Voluntary Awards on 18 June 2026, after more than 100 nominations.

Twelve local people and groups have been named winners of Sevenoaks District Council’s Making it Happen Community and Voluntary Awards, after a ceremony at St Nicholas’ Church in Sevenoaks on 18 June 2026. The council says the awards drew more than 100 nominations across the district. (Sevenoaks District Council, Local heroes recognised!)

The ceremony was compered by the council leader, Councillor Kevin Maskell, with awards presented by the broadcaster and GP Dr Hilary Jones, of Good Morning Britain, and Tom Hart-Dyke of Lullingstone Castle. (Sevenoaks District Council, Local heroes recognised!)

Who won

The winners across the twelve categories were (Sevenoaks District Council, Local heroes recognised!):

  • Charity Project of the Year: DAVSS (Domestic Abuse Volunteer Support Service)
  • Community Arts Group of the Year: Sevenoaks Literary Festival
  • Community Sports Group of the Year: Chipstead Sailing Club
  • Youth Group/Project of the Year: The HOUSE project Edenbridge
  • Local Hero under 18: Emily Lingham and Amy Frazier
  • Local Hero 18 and over: Simon Bull
  • Volunteer Group of the Year: Sevenoaks Area Dementia Friendly Community
  • Older Persons’ Group/Project of the Year: the Forget-me-not cafes, run by Sevenoaks Area Dementia Friendly Community
  • Community Safety Award: Protection Against Stalking volunteers
  • Contribution to the Environment: The Woodlands Group
  • Health and Wellbeing Project of the Year: D’Vine Singers
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Jan Berry

The Sevenoaks Area Dementia Friendly Community took two of the categories, winning Volunteer Group of the Year and, for its Forget-me-not cafes, the Older Persons’ award.

‘Judging as always was very tough’

Councillor Maskell, the council leader and the evening’s compere, said: “With over 100 nominations, judging as always was very tough, as all who were nominated deserved an award.” (Sevenoaks District Council, Local heroes recognised!)

The Making it Happen awards run each year to recognise the volunteers, charities, sports clubs and community groups that keep day-to-day life going across the district, from food and dementia support to environmental work and youth projects. We previewed this year’s ceremony, alongside the Greatness Recreation Ground pavilion, in our Sevenoaks community news roundup; this article confirms the results.

What it means for residents

Behind the trophies, the list doubles as a directory of where to turn for help or to give time locally. Several winners run services residents use directly: DAVSS supports people affected by domestic abuse, the Sevenoaks Area Dementia Friendly Community runs the Forget-me-not cafes for people living with dementia and their carers, and Protection Against Stalking offers specialist help to victims. Others, such as Chipstead Sailing Club, the Sevenoaks Literary Festival and the D’Vine Singers, are open to new members and volunteers.

If you would like to nominate someone next year, or want the contact details for the groups recognised, the council keeps an overview on its community and voluntary awards pages. For more on what is on locally, see our things to do in Sevenoaks guide.

Sources

Image: St Nicholas’ Church, Sevenoaks, by Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph / Wikimedia Commons.