The National ISVA Conference ‘Knowledge & Network’, hosted by LimeCulture took places yesterday (28 September 2015) in Manchester. It was a fantastic event with 120 ISVAs coming together from across England and Wales to share knowledge, learn about topics that affect their practice and network with their peers.
LimeCulture used the opportunity of having so many ISVAs together in one room to hold the award ceremony of the first ever LimeLight Awards. Through the introduction of the LimeLight Awards, LimeCulture seek to acknowledge the outstanding contributions and achievements of individual ISVAs, ISVA Teams and ISVA Managers who have demonstrated excellence, dedication and commitment to supporting victims of sexual violence through their work.
Member of Parliament Keir Starmer QC congratulated the shortlisted nominees and announced the winner of each category (once 120 ISVAs had finished banged their hands on the table to create the sound of a drum roll!). The winners were invited to the stage, where they were presented with their LimeLight Award – to lots of applause and cheers from the audience of ISVAs.
Award 1: Outstanding Achievement by an ISVA Supporting Adults went to Yehudis Goldsobel, from Migdal Emunah.
Alison Pemberton, Member of the LimeCulture Independent Advisory Board, said of the winner Yehudis Goldsobel “The three shortlisted nominees for this award are outstanding, but the winner of this category is truly exceptional. In a uniquely challenging community, she has made significant progress”.
Photo: Yehudis Goldsobel, Migdal Emunah © 2016 by Geoff Reardon Photography
Award 2: The Vicky Bardsley Prize: Oustanding Achievement by an ISVA Supporting Children & Young People went to Helen Leach of RASA Merseyside.
“The contenders for this category are all truly amazing. The winner of this award has set up an entire new service for children and young people from scratch – a superb achievement”.
Photo: Helen Leach, RASA Merseyside © 2016 by Geoff Reardon Photography
Award 3: Exceptional ISVA Team went to RSVP Advocacy Service
“All these teams do wonderful work and put in enormous beyond-the-call-of duty effort and care to the people they are supporting in their caseloads. However, one team has had a particularly difficult extra challenge this year which they have pulled together to meet in tragic and trying circumstances. They are a team who lost one of their number to cancer and yet still managed to absorb that person’s workload and make sure that no-one in their area went unsupported”
Photo: RSVP Advocacy Service © 2016 by Geoff Reardon Photography
Award 4: Inspirational ISVA Manager went to Rebecca Hitchin of RASASC, South London. Sadly, Rebecca was unable to collect her award in person due to being unwell.
LimeCulture would like to thank everybody who nominated an ISVA, an ISVA Team or an ISVA Manager to make the very first LimeLight Award a great success! We would also like to say congratulations to the other 8 individuals ISVAs and Teams who were shortlisted for the awards across all 4 categories- a fantastic achievement in itself due to the quality of the services provided by the 320+ ISVAs and 100+ ISVA Teams working across the UK.
Keir Starmer MP QC, chairing the event said that ISVAs are ‘Life Savers and Life Changers’ and truly deserved to have the vital work that they do in support of victims and survivors of sexual violence recognised. Keir Starmer said of the LimeLight Awards ‘This is a wonderful way of rewarding the work of exceptional ISVAs’.
Photo: Keir Starmer MP QC stands with the winners of the LimeLight Awards 2016 winners © 2016 by Geoff Reardon Photography