Everybody needs good neighbours like Kerry Lynn

Kerry Lynn from the Ballynafeigh area of the Ormeau Road was honoured by Nextdoor, the neighbourhood network, in its fourth annual Good Neighbourhood Awards, for her “incredible” work lifting community projects off the ground.

She became part of ‘Open Ormeau’ in the summer of 2020 with the mission to create more space in the community to reduce traffic and to allow local cafes and pubs to operate more safely.

At one point Kerry was spearheading over 200 volunteers and through Nextdoor she organised a series of events for families, at Halloween, Christmas and most recently ‘Ballynafest’ - a festival of music and entertainment for families to commemorate the end of summer and gather with neighbours for the first time.

Speaking about her award, Kerry said: “It’s lovely to win, but at the same time my hope is that anyone who reads about my story is also inspired to reach out to their neighbours or community to make some connections.

“It’s really important for our wellbeing, and whilst it can be quite daunting, the rewards are huge if you take those first few steps. You’ll never know what fabulous people live just up the road from you who are also super keen to work on the same thing that you are unless you reach out.”

With almost 5,000 entries, people nominated individuals, groups and businesses that have supported their communities over the past year. From acts of kindness and local initiatives for surviving lockdown to efforts in making neighbourhoods more sustainable for the future, this year’s awards celebrate the strength, good will and resilience of neighbourhoods and the public across the UK.

Roisin O’Neill, head of Community UK at Nextdoor said: “Reading through the thousands of entries we received for this year’s awards has shown us just how strong the sense of community is in the UK.

“The pandemic has reminded people of how important our neighbourhoods are to us and that kindness and support will always be at the heart of the British public and we’re thrilled to reveal Kerry as one of our Neighbours of the Year.’’

Neighbours turn to Nextdoor daily to receive trusted information, give and get help, get things done, and build real-world connections with those nearby — neighbours, businesses, and public services.

*To join your local community, visit nextdoor.co.uk.