The ninth Mayfair Times Community Awards took place last month at The Biltmore in Grosvenor Square, recognising those making a positive contribution to life in Mayfair, St James’s and Marylebone.

Writer, broadcaster, actor and former MP, Gyles Brandreth, was presenter for the evening and, along with canapés from The Biltmore, guests were treated to champagne from The Arts Club; cocktails courtesy of Lavazza; delicious sweet treats from Noshy; cheese from Paxton & Whitfield; and caviar from Caviar House & Prunier.

Only in Mayfair
Sponsored by: Hooke

Winner: JO HANSFORD
Having recently celebrated 30 years in Mayfair, Jo Hansford is a hairdressing institution. At the salon, which started life on Mount Street and is now based on South Audley Street, Jo and her team see more than 400 clients a week, including local residents, celebrities and royalty. Jo opened her salon in 1993 at a time when all the top hairdressers were men, making her business  one of the leading female hair brands in the industry. One reader told us: “They’re proud to have clients including the Queen and also Elizabeth Hurley, stars from stage and screen, politicians and people who fly in from all over the world to come into the salon.”

Shortlisted
Hancocks
Scott’s

Commercial Newcomer
Sponsored by: IBV international vaults

Winner:  ALEX DILLING
Found within Hotel Café Royal, Alex Dilling achieved two Michelin stars within seven months of opening. With just 34 seats, it is the chef’s first eponymous restaurant, offering anintimate dining experience that flips the switch on gastronomy, taking inspiration from French classics but using ingredients such as Cornish sardines, Yorkshire rhubarb and Herdwick lamb.

Shortlisted
Dabbs Fitness
Socca

Arts and Culture
Sponsored by: Artfarm

Winner: ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS AND CLARIDGE’S
The Royal Academy of Arts and Claridge’s created the Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize to award a graduate student at the Royal Academy schools with £30,000, a production fund and a solo exhibition at Claridge’s ArtSpace the following year. The prize, awarded annually, was set up as the Royal Academy and Claridge’s have been friends and neighbours for more than a century.

Shortlisted
Handel & Hendrix
Women in Art Fair

Only in St James’s
Sponsored by: The Ritz

Winner: WILTONS
Sourcing the finest British produce every season, Wiltons has been in St James’s for 282 years. Known as the “London home for oysters”, it still attracts lovers of the finest food day in, day out. A reader said: “Wiltons today has the same timeless elegance, passion and dedication to excellence it has always had.”

Shortlisted
Albert Amor
Hilditch & Key

Doorman of the Year
Sponsored by: Metropolitan Gaming

Winner:  JOHN THOMPSON
A trusted doorman at Brown’s for the past 17 years, John Thompson ensures every single guest gets the VIP treatment. As a father of four, John knows how to engage with younger guests, often performing magic tricks for the kids. One reader said: “In his opinion the richness we have in our lives is not from money or possessions, but quite simply from the relationships we build with everyone. That’s what makes him happy; it’s seeing friends from all over the world returning to our beloved Brown’s and all around the local neighbourhood, smiling and chatting with the locals. John feels they have become his extended family.”

Shortlisted
Jim Burns
Helen Scott

Friend of the Earth
Presented by: Grosvenor

Winner: APRICITY
Green-Michelin-starred chef Chantelle Nicholson is a trailblazer in the realm of green gastronomy. Her Duke Street restaurant, Apricity, champions conscious cooking with the principles of a circular economy. Small-scale farmers and height-of-season, foraged ingredients are the ethos of the restaurant. A fan said: “Apricity symbolises regeneration, warmth, generosity and light, which is reflected in both the space and the menu.”

Shortlisted
Bamford
Greenr

Only in Marylebone
Sponsored by: The Marylebone Hotel

Winner: JOHN BELL & CROYDEN
Established in 1798, John Bell & Croyden was the original pharmacy on Oxford Street before it relocated to Wigmore Street. John Bell and his son Jacob played a fundamental role in founding pharmacy as a profession in the UK. John Bell & Croyden has held the royal warrant since 1909 and was Queen Elizabeth II’s pharmacist for 60 years. A customer said: “The assortment is world-class and the service is impeccable.”

Shortlisted
Bella Freud
Trishna

Long Service
Sponsored by: Marina Rinaldi

Winner: MICHAEL LYNCH
Known as a living legend among guests and colleagues at Claridge’s, Michael Lynch is the butler, luxury concierge and all-round embodiment of the charm that the hotel represents. Attending hotel school in County Tipperary, Ireland, it was there he was told there was only one hotel to work for in London and that was Claridge’s. For more than 45 years he has been dedicated to brightening the day of guests of all ages at the hotel.

Shortlisted
Wendy Langley
Andrew Rowley

At Your Service
Sponsored by: Neill Strain Floral Couture

Winner: MIKE DUNN
Involved in the Mayfair community for more than 20 years, Mike Dunn has been a member of various committees, giving up his time to represent residents at groups in Westminster and the West End while also chairing a number of them. He is the co-founder and vice chair of the Mayfair Residents Group, and was also one of the initial steering group members for the Mayfair Neighbourhood Forum. A resident said: “Should Mike receive this award, it would be a fitting acknowledgement of his many years of service to the residential community of Mayfair.”

Shortlisted
Mayfair Food Fayre
My Local Bobby

Hospitality Hero
Sponsored by: Maybourne

Winner: ALESSANDRO PALAZZI
Dukes Bar and Alessandro Palazzi go hand in hand. The martini maestro has been the head bartender at the celebrated drinking spot since 2007 and is known as a “legend in the bartending world”. Starting off at kitchen school in Senigallia, Italy, Alessandro moved to the UK in 1975. Dukes was the first to prepare martinis on the trolley with a frozen glass and frozen gin.

Shortlisted
Agostino Perrone
Kanwal Singh

Charitable Champion
Sponsored by: The Caring Family Foundation

Winner: EVER AFTER GARDEN
Devised by Anya Hindmarch and Camilla Morton, the memorial garden lights up Grosvenor Square with thousands of illuminated white roses. Visitors can dedicate a rose in memory of a loved one by donating to a cancer charity.

Shortlisted
Jo-Ann D’Costa-Manuel
Redemption roasters

Bright Young Thing
Sponsored by: Como Metropolitan

Winner: DAISY KNATCHBULL
The fashion designer and businesswoman made history as the first female-only tailor with a standalone store on Savile Row. With a fresh approach to tailoring, bringing a female voice to the male-focused street, Daisy founded the Deck in April 2019 after five years working at Huntsman. All tailoring is on a made-to-order basis to eliminate textile waste from overproduction. A supporter said: “She was the first woman in history to wear a tailored morning dress to Royal Ascot in 2016. Her appearance in top-hat and tails caused a stir at the time, and it also inspired her to take the bull by the horns.”

Shortlisted
Elliott Grover
James Macauslan & Andrew Johnson

Lifetime Achievement
Sponsored by: Stratstone Land Rover

Winner: MICHEL ROUX
Michel Roux, chef patron of Le Gavroche, which closed its doors last month, picked up the Lifetime Achievement award.

Unsung Hero
Sponsored by: Aranyani

Winner: ERNESTINA THOMPSON

Ernestina Thompson has been at Truefitt & Hill for four decades. We are told: “Quite simply, the barbers couldn’t operate without her.”

Shortlisted
Antje Poschel
Trinny (DPD Driver)