Monday, 26 November 2012

THE SPIRIT OF LONDON AWARDS

In association with PlayStation
Monday 10th December 2012, The O2 Arena, North Greenwich

Now in its 4th Year the prestigious Spirit of London Awards (SOLA) takes place on the 10th December at The O2. The awards were launched by the Damilola Taylor Trust in 2009 as a legacy project to Damilola and all the other young people lost to youth violence on streets of London through the Years.

The aim of SOLA is to demonstrate to young people just how much their positive endeavours matter and how much they are valued.  Looking to emulate the great celebrity awards events like BRITS and MOBOS with the only difference being that it is the young unsung heroes of London that become the celebrities for this event!

The Spirit of London Awards will this Year be staged at The O2 in North Greenwich on Monday December 10th and the line- up is both amazing and eclectic:
·       Labrinth
·       Diversity
·       Maverick Sabre
·       Chase & Status
·       Stooshe
·       Angel
·       Noisettes
·       ACM Choir feat Mizz Camara
·       Mcfly

The award categories cover virtually every aspect of interest and engagement for young people. The awards are open to young people aged 15 to 25 unless stated:
·       Young London heroes (5-15)
·       London Community Champions
·       Achievement through Music
·       Achievement through Sport
·       Achievement through the Arts
·       Achievement through Education
·       Achievement through Media
·       Achievement through Fashion
·       Young Business Entrepreneur
·       UK National Young Campaigner of the Year (5-15)

In an arrangement with UK Athletics and Team GB London 2012 all the awards on the night will be presented by medallists from the Olympic and Paralympic squads.

Christine Ohuruogu said “The Spirit of London Awards is such an important event and I have been lucky enough to have been involved every year from the start. This has been a fantastic year for London but the inner city areas still face huge challenges and so we should not lose sight of how important a project like this is – putting the spotlight on the positive things young people are doing is not just refreshing, it is vital if we are not to allow the small negative faction get all the attention – this is unfortunately what has tended to happen and SOLA brings some much needed balance in this respect”.

One final award is that of LONDON LEGEND – This award is voted for by young people and is given to an iconic Londoner they feel has graced London as a positive adult role model. In 2009 it was Sir Michael Caine – 2010 Barbara Windsor – 2011 Harry Redknapp.

Labrinth who also performed at SOLA 2010 said, “I love this event and all that it stands for. In 2010 I played an acoustic version of Bob Dylan's timeless classic ‘Times They Are A-Changin’ as I think that it's relevant to the project, and how it illuminates the positive things young people are doing in London”.

Ashley Banjo of Diversity said, “We performed at the inaugural event at the Alexandra Palace back in 2009 and then again at the Royal Albert Hall last Year. It truly is an amazing show and it is largely the unsung heroes that light up the stage with their stories – Diversity are so proud to be part of the SOLA family and cannot wait to get on The O2 stage this year to do our bit for the cause”.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said, “The Spirit of London Awards represents everything that is great about London and it is so refreshing to see young people being rewarded for their positive contributions on such a grand scale”.

David Cameron – Prime Minister said, “These awards represent everything that is great about the young people of our Country. They are a credit to their community and to their city and I am delighted to see what a fantastic job the Damilola Taylor Trust has done in the way the project now has the young people who have come through the awards actually running the event. An extraordinary achievement and a fitting finale to what has been an amazing Year for our Capital City”.

For Community Group Discount tickets tickets@solafoundation.org.uk 
For all other tickets:

Many thanks to previous SOLA winner, Dean Atta for this information. 

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