Sharon Tomlin has been recognised for her services to the Black community in Hammersmith & Fulham.
The Fulham resident works across the borough for Sobus, the organisation that supports 500 charities, community bodies, social enterprises and start-ups in the borough.
Her areas of focus include reducing youth crime, developing projects to improve mental health and tackling substance misuse.
She has been an instrumental member of the resident-led Building Trust programme, run in partnership with the local NHS and H&F Council. It aims to build health and care services that work equally for everyone.
"I'm from the African Caribbean community, so it's about using dialogue to combat social injustice," she said.
Lack of trust
Four years ago, she was approached by H&F Council as the Covid-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on health inequality. NHS findings revealed that black and Asian communities – in particular – were reluctant to take the Covid vaccine due to a long-standing lack of trust in the health care system.
Working with other local colleagues and residents, such as Jazz Browne, CEO of Nubian Life, and Gareth Dixon, of Young H&F Foundation, they helped craft and run community-led 'listening events' with Black residents and organisations across H&F borough to collect and collate data.
"It involves properly listening to people," she explained, and genuinely co-producing the improvements needed for change.
Sharon, 60, the mother of a grown-up son, also chairs her local Met Police Ward Panel in Fulham's Lillie Ward, covering West Brompton and the Clem Attlee estate.
In her spare time, she's enthusiastic about researching family history, and she's done research for television programmes on genealogy.
Civic Honour from H&F
In 2023, she was given a Civic Honour at a ceremony in Bush Hall, Shepherds Bush, by H&F Council for her contribution to building a stronger, safer neighbourhood.
Describing her as "a rare gem", the nomination said she went "above and beyond" to help and connect people. She has been a community organiser for Sobus since 2013.
Sobus operates across the borough from premises in Dawes Road, Fulham, where it rents out affordable rooms and desks. Funded and supported by H&F Council, it takes its unusual name from a combination of the words 'social' and 'business'.
Sobus's achievements include establishing a mental health group for Black and Minority Ethnic organisations, and a network to assist Somali mothers.
In the past year, Sobus gave one-to-one support to 261 voluntary bodies in the borough, and also set up Comoodle, an online platform for 'sharing stuff, space and skills'.
It gathers and shares information about the voluntary sector in H&F, supporting groups which address particular needs in the community.
It also developed a 'Women in Business' course which has already enabled three women to set up their own enterprises, as well as forums providing services to senior citizens.
