Brentford Stars Excel at Borough Community Awards
Strong representation for the area at event
The Community Stars assemble at Hounslow House. Picture: Hounslow Council
October 3, 2025
This Wednesday night (24 September) Community Stars awards at Hounslow House recognised 25 people and groups from across the borough for voluntary work that strengthens neighbourhoods and supports vulnerable residents.
Attendees were welcomed by Council Leader, Councillor Shantanu Rajawat. He spoke about Hounslow’s strength as a diverse borough and his pride in celebrating the extraordinary people, groups, and organisations gathered.
Councillor Dan Bowring, ward councillor for Syon and Brentford Lock, spoke about the importance of recognising the generosity and selflessness of Hounslow’s community stars and invited winners up to the stage to receive their awards.
Among those honoured from the Brentford and the surrounding area were Janet McNamara, St Paul’s Church and its Spire Café, Brentford Voice, and a young volunteer from Osterley, reflecting a mix of heritage activity, faith-based community provision and grassroots civic organising.
Janet McNamara was celebrated for her long record of local engagement, including leading historical walks around Brentford, researching and writing the first Boston Manor House guidebook, volunteering at Chiswick Library’s Local Studies Department and serving as a trustee of the Thomas Layton Trust. Her work brings local history to life for residents and visitors, linking cultural heritage with everyday community identity.
Janet McNamara is officially a community star. Picture: Guy Lambert
St Paul’s Church was recognised for environmental and social initiatives developed through its Eco Church programme and the Spire Café. The church has achieved Silver Eco Church status for how it uses its buildings and land to encourage sustainable living, and it runs monthly eco gardening workshops, a Clothes Repair Café, a youth club and a football social club that reach people of all ages. Those activities combine practical skills, social contact and environmental awareness, and the church’s provision of inclusive spaces is a recurring theme in nominations from the area.
The St. Paul's Church team receives its community star award. Picture: Guy Lambert
Brentford Voice received an award for its local advocacy and for work that has helped re-establish the Brentford Canal Festival and revitalise Sunday and seasonal markets. The group acts as a key liaison between residents and developers, organising events to give local people a voice in shaping the area’s future and supporting community cohesion through cultural and commercial activity.
The Osterley accolade highlighted the contribution of a young volunteer choirmaster at St Vincent de Paul Parish, Kimberly Rodrigues, who leads inclusive choirs that welcome children and adults and fosters community through music. Her nomination describes sustained mentoring and practical support that builds confidence and connection across generations.
The council framed the awards as evidence of Hounslow’s civic strength, noting the borough’s diversity and the everyday kindness and creativity shown by winners across categories such as befriending services and youth sport programmes.
Residents interested in reading full profiles of the Community Stars or in finding out how to get involved can consult the council’s Community Stars pages for more detail.
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