The Chelsea Awards 2022

Surrounded by the remarkable artworks featured in the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show at the Saatchi Gallery, Cadogan chief executive Hugh Seaborn hosted the second Chelsea Awards with Sloane Square magazine, celebrating the extraordinary people, cultural attractions, iconic institutions, shops, businesses and restaurants that make the neighbourhood such a special place.

An honour guard of champagne-laden trays greeted guests as they arrived at the gallery, beyond which lay pop-up stands from Hans’ Bar & Grill, Partridges, and Bread Ahead. The Diamond Boys, a wandering quartet of velvet-jacketed musicians, performed a selection of pop songs throughout the evening, playfully serenading guests. 

Judges including councillor Gerard Hargreaves, the mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, councillor and BAFTA award-winning artist Alison Jackson, and Anya Hindmarch selected the winners of the eight awards that were presented throughout the evening. 

The Master of Craft Award, for an artisan who elevates the everyday to the extraordinary, was won by Designers Guild, which has been a Chelsea institution for over 50 years and has grown into a company of international renown and prestige. The judges said, “Tricia Guild has changed the way people all over the world view colour and decorate their homes.” Shortlisted were Daniela de Montby and Theo Fennell.

Dr Rhona Eskander, owner of the Chelsea Dental Clinic and co-founder of sustainable and plastic-free PÄRLA toothpaste tablets, won the Future Forward Award, for a company innovating to meet tomorrow’s challenges. On the shortlist for the prize was Anya Hindmarch and Holy Carrot vegan restaurant.

The Royal Horticultural Society, which stages the Chelsea Flower Show, won the Cultural Champion Award, presented to an organisation or person that has enriched Chelsea’s culture. The world’s greatest flower show has been held in Chelsea since 1912, attracting over 150,000 people to the neighbourhood every year. The National Army Museum and Oliver Lallemant and the Sloane Square Choral Society were on the shortlist. 

The judges awarded the King’s Road Partnership with the Community Collaboration prize, for bringing together the largest group of local property owners and businesses to boost the profile and environment of the King’s Road, resulting in the successful formation of the King’s Road Business Improvement District (BID), which will give occupiers a tangible say in the way the area develops over the next five years.

Kensington + Chelsea Art Week and Nucleus Legal Advice Centre were both shortlisted for the Community Collaboration prize.

The Only in Chelsea Award, presented to a business that brings something unique to the area, was won by Haines of Sloane Square, London’s oldest news kiosk, run by the same family since 1892. The Jacques Flower Shop in Duke of York Square and The Royal Hospital Chelsea were on the shortlist for the prize. 

Reverend Prebendary Dr Brian Leathard won the Community Hero Award for his work in the community. On top of his day job as rector of St Luke’s and Christ Church, he works tirelessly as chairman of local charity Glass Door, which operates London’s largest emergency winter night shelters, providing a refuge for thousands of homeless people each year. He is also kept busy with school governing boards and with his engagement with local residents and associations. 

On the shortlist were the St Giles Trust, which helps vulnerable young people involved in or at risk of criminal exploitation, supports adults facing complex barriers, and people facing unemployment and poverty; and Chelsea resident Rob McGibbon, who led a campaign to make Battersea Bridge safe to cross following the death of a jogger in 2021. 

The In Good Taste Award, for a business that has made Chelsea delicious, was won by Peggy Porschen, the gloriously pink family-owned patisserie on the King’s Road, beloved for its cupcakes, pancakes and sweet treats. 

On the tasty shortlist were Finns of Chelsea, the Chelsea Green fine food establishment run by Julia Bannister since 1985, and The Cadogan Arms, the cherished pub that reopened in 2021 with a menu that focuses on provenance and seasonality.

The K+C Christmas Collective, which delivered food and gifts to over 8,000 vulnerable neighbours last Christmas, won the Compassion in the Crisis Award, given to an organisation or person that has adapted and served the community during the pandemic. The Collective consists of local organisations Age UK, the Dalgarno Trust, Kensington + Chelsea Foundation and SMART – plus a whole host of caring individuals.

Also shortlisted for this inspiring prize was Restart Lives, a charity which provides personalised, non-judgemental support to vulnerable adults as they return to independent living. During the pandemic, when the closure of cafes, libraries and day centres made it impossible for rough sleepers to charge their devices – preventing them from applying for jobs or speaking to counsellors and doctors – Restart began handing out power banks, SIM cards and basic phones along with free meals. 

The Fashion School was also shortlisted for its work during the pandemic, when it teamed up with the Royal Brompton Hospital to make 100,000 PPE surgical gowns out of old theatre drapes from intensive care units, helping to raise awareness about the drastic shortage of PPE at that time.