Wonderful news! Barbara Durand, our Head of Operations and Virginie Firth, our Head of Finance and Admin - who you will all know as Barb and V - have been honoured by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham at their Civic Honours Awards.
Barb and V have both dedicated a huge amount of love, time and energy towards Lumi Foundation. They have been the mainstays of the charity since the charity was established in 2017 and have both worked tirelessly to fulfill the charity’s mission to bring yoga to all.
As well as managing the day-to-day running of classes, the finances, organising teachers, managing events and programmes as well as fundraising activities, both Barb and V also teach regular classes for the Foundation. They are impactful teachers, sharing their love of yoga and making sure that their classes are accessible for everyone who joins. They both also mentor new teachers at the Foundation, willing to share their knowledge and experience and encouraging new teachers to develop the confidence to teach community classes.
Barb and V had been selected by the judging panel as finalists for Civic Honours for contributions to building a stronger, safer, kinder borough.
The celebration for the finalists took place on 30 March at Bush Hall in Shepherd’s Bush. The dinner was also attended by local councillors, the Leader of the Council, Steve Cowan, the the Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham, Emma Apthorp, the MP for Hammersmith, Andy Slaughter, along with family and friends of the finalists.
Barb and V were honoured in their category alongside Jamie Hoult (for charity fundraising), Tracey McCormack (for support for refugees), Neil Doherty (a local scout leader), Anna Harrison (a volunteer with St John’s Ambulance), Ian Marshall
(Youth Service Justice panel member), Jamie Hilton (for his work with Fulham Good Neighbours), and Helen Dell and Chris Dodwell (Climate Commissioners for H&F).
We are so fortunate to have Barb and V as part of this community and are so thrilled that they have been recognised and honoured in this way.