Some of the Mayor's Coldstream Guards Prize winners at the Princess Louise House ceremony
Nine extraordinary secondary school pupils have won a prestigious Mayor's Coldstream Guards Prize.
The annual awards are championed by the Mayor of Hammersmith & Fulham and are awarded in partnership with 17 Company, The Coldstream Guards, one of the borough's main Army Reserve Units.
The ceremony took place Friday 25 November at Princess Louise House, the 17 Company Army Reserve Centre in Hammersmith. The awards were presented by Cllr Daryl Brown, Deputy Mayor of Hammersmith & Fulham and Major Rudy Vandaele-Kennedy of 17 Company, The Coldstream Guards.
One of the judges – Cllr Alex Sanderson, H&F Cabinet Member for Children and Education – said: "Picking just nine pupils was extremely tough".
"We were incredibly impressed by the entries and worked to pick winners who had really gone above and beyond over the last year. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated – your hard work is inspiring," she added.
Each prize aims to reward pupils' hard work, enthusiasm, and achievements. This year's awards celebrated pupils for their academic and sporting accomplishments, their social contribution, and their efforts in overcoming adversity.
Award winners
This year's winners of the Social Contribution awards were Amelie Grandjean, 13, and Ealaf Al-Najar, 14, from Fulham Cross Girls School.
"Amelie works hard for the students at our school, making it a better place for everyone. She is an exemplar pupil," reported her maths teacher, Fatmata Macauley.
Mary Hay, 12, from Fulham Cross Girls School and Hannah Sapsford, 14, from the Hammersmith Academy won the Academic Achievement awards.
And both Zavier Massiah-Edwards, 15, from Hammersmith Academy, and Sariah Brown, 16, from Fulham Cross Girls School were honoured with Sporting Achievement awards.
"Zavier plays football at the Watford Academy and juggles his academics alongside, he is a true role model to his peers," added his Head of Upper School, Shaun Flitton.
While young carer Ayomide Jacobson, 14, from Fulham Cross Girls School was named as 2022's winner of the Overcoming Adversity award, Noah Davel, 15, and Connor Hayes, 16, from Fulham Boys School also scooped the honour.
Prizes, workshops and more
Each winner received an engraved plaque and will be invited to a celebratory lunch at the 1st Battalion, The Coldstream Guards in Windsor later next year.
The nine pupils will have the chance to attend a further three lunches where they can share and gain experiences with each other and their hosts, including Kevin McGrath OBE, Deputy Lieutenant for Hammersmith & Fulham.
The students will also be invited to attend a number of personal development workshops in 2023, all organised by The Coldstream Guards.
These will focus on public speaking, career management and goal setting.
Each school with a winning pupil will receive an engraved Coldstream Guards statuette.
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