Citizens UK Executive Director Neil Jameson Awarded New Year's Honour

We are delighted to announce, that Citizens UK's executive director, Neil Jameson, has been awarded a CBE for his services to community organising and social justice and part of the 2016 New Year honours list.

Neil founded Citizens UK and has been promoting community organising across London and the UK since 1989, after training with the Industrial Areas Foundation in the USA.

Neil and his colleague Organisers are now driving the UK's largest and most diverse Community Organising training institute, the professional Guild of Organisers and a growing network of broad-based Citizens alliances in London, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, South Wales, Leeds and Tyne & Wear.

Under Neil's guidance Citizens UK's member communities initiated and still drive the UK's Living Wage campaign, securing £millions for low-wage families and attracting over 2,000 businesses to accredit as Living Wage employers, including over 1/4 of the FTSE 100.

Neil commented: "Receiving this honour was a real pleasure, and is great recognition for the work of everyone involved with Citizens UK. We are democrats organising together for a better world with Civil Society at its heart.

"2016 is going to be an exciting year with Citizens UK’s member communities across the country set to be at the centre of negotiations with politicians and business on the key challenges and opportunities faced by civil society. In a fractured world it is more important than ever that diverse groups work and learn together to promote the common good.”

Neil has been nominated for inclusion in the Debrett’s 500 as one of the most influential people in his field. This list will be published in The Sunday Times later this month. His work to strengthen civil society across the UK has been recognised by Queen Mary University of London where he is an Honorary Fellow and by The Open University where he holds an Honorary Doctorate.

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact Gillian Owen, head of media, Citizens UK gillian.owen@citizensuk.org m:07876246150

Citizens UK is the national home of community organising – a network of over 350 faith groups, schools and colleges that work together for the common good. www.citizensuk.org