Volunteers who have helped to reveal Chinatown’s history in London have been recognised for their exceptional service to the UK’s heritage sector. The Heritage Hero Storyteller Award, one of two Ecclesiastical Heritage Hero Awards, celebrates the China Exchange History Champions’ contribution in revealing the neighbourhood’s heritage, engaging visitors through storytelling, and contributing to anti-racism work in Chinatown, London through our Chinatown Stories community-led walking tour programme.

The Heritage Heroes Awards, now in their 13th year, are the Heritage Alliance’s celebration of the outstanding contribution Britain’s heritage volunteers make to society. The awards ceremony coincided with Heritage Day, a key event in the heritage sector calendar, with speakers including the Heritage Minister, Lord Parkinson, René Olivieri, Chair of the National Trust, and Peter Aiers OBE, Master and Chief Executive of The Charterhouse.

Faith Kitchen, Customer Segment Director at Ecclesiastical, who presented China Exchange with the award said: “As the leading insurer of Grade I listed buildings in the UK, we’re passionate about Britain’s heritage. We’re proud to sponsor the Heritage Heroes Awards, and this year celebrates two incredibly deserving winners for their outstanding contribution to the heritage sector. Congratulations to the History Champions!”

Lizzie Glithero-West, CEO at the Heritage Alliance, said: “It has been truly inspiring this year to see so many examples from across the breadth of our sector of the formidable contribution of heritage volunteers to preservation,
engagement and access. China Exchange History Champions showcase how volunteers working together are critical ambassadors of the role heritage has to play to catalyse diverse communities.”

Sau Hing Au, on behalf of the  History Champions, said: “As a team of volunteers, we’ve each made time to understand many of the multi-layered Chinatown stories, and we take great pleasure in telling these stories to others. Receiving an award for our contribution is special. We are delighted that our collective efforts to share Chinatown’s stories are being recognised and are grateful to everyone involved.”