Our congratulations to Donna C Henry, Chair of Clapham Park Project who has been awarded an MBE  in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for 2011. The award recognised “her services to the community in the London Borough of Lambeth”.

Donna has been active in the Clapham Park neighbourhood since 1999 when she and a like-minded group of local residents brought the problems of the area to the attention of Lambeth Council.  As a long term resident, Donna had witnessed the area’s decline and felt she should make a contribution; consequently she got involved in the local tenants and residents association. The group successfully lobbied for Clapham Park to become a New Deal for Communities (NDC) area.  This led to the area being awarded £56 million of regeneration funding and the establishment of CPP as the resident led body which would oversee the NDC programme.

Donna was encouraged by a neighbour to stand in CPP’s first election of resident Board members. She was successful, and along with her fellow Board members began to oversee the transformation of the Clapham Park area.  In 2004 she became Vice Chair and in 2005 she was elected as Chair of the CPP Board and has remained in this role ever since.

Donna also played a major part in one of CPP’s greatest achievements, the successful transfer of Lambeth Council’s housing stock to a resident led housing association, Clapham Park Homes.  Donna is currently the Vice Chair of the C.P.H Board.

Of her award which she will collect from Buckingham Palace later this year Donna said, “I’m very pleased and humbled to receive my M.B.E and feel that it reflects the hard work and talent of those involved in community work in the area, particularly within the Clapham Park Project.”

Donna plans to remain involved with the CPP charity and is committed to ensuring that the progress made in improving the Clapham Park area continues.

In addition to her duties on the Board, Donna works full time as an Ophthalmic Clinical Advisor in Kensington.