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The National Mediation Awards 2022 in Review

The National Mediation Awards 2022 in Review

A Groundbreaking Collaboration

The 2022 National Mediation Awards were held on 8 December at the House of Commons (also broadcast to a worldwide audience) and were a resounding success!

Hosted by one of the BBC’s most respected presenters and newsreaders, Joanna Gosling, the 2022 Awards were celebrated as a groundbreaking collaboration between the Civil Mediation Council, Family Mediation Council and the College of Mediators – the country’s leading mediation registration organisations.

Of the collaboration Rebecca Clark, Chair of the Civil Mediation Council, said: “being in a room of people passionate about mediation of all types and across so many disciplines was both exciting and inspirational. We have much to celebrate and to learn from each other.”

Spotlighting Mediation Talent

For the first time, the 2022 Awards highlighted the achievements of mediators and mediation providers operating across all areas of mediation: civil, commercial, family, peer, community and SEND. And they certainly succeeded in spotlighting the wealth of mediation talent in this country!

Mediators, supporters of mediation and distinguished guests were invited by Bim Afolami MP, to assemble at the House of Commons for the Awards, for an evening of networking and celebration.

The event began in the historic Strangers’ Dining Room and Pugin Room of the House Of Commons, accessed through the impressive Central Lobby, where guests enjoyed drinks and mingling before moving to the historic Members’ Dining Room for the highly anticipated awards’ ceremony.

The 2022 Awards were supported by many leading organisations aligned with mediation, including the Awards’ Ambassador Sponsor, The TCM Group and several designated Award Sponsors: the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) – sponsoring the Community Award, Sheridan Worldwide – sponsoring Workplace Mediator of the Year, Our Family Wizard – sponsoring Family Mediator of the Year and Child Inclusive Mediator of the Year and Thomas More Chambers –  sponsoring the prestigious Civil/Commercial Mediator of the Year.

The Success of Peer Mediation

At the outset of the ceremony the audience were entertained by two videos showcasing the incredible work of the two joint winners of the Peer Mediation Scheme of the Year award: Greystones Primary School and Bacons College.

The audience were amazed at how many cases the Peer Mediators had solved and were impressed by the fact that many of the children and youth felt they were better at resolving conflict than the adults in their lives!

Ellis Brooks of Quakers in Britain and the Chair of the Peer Mediation Working Group of the Civil Mediation Council, was hugely instrumental in ensuring the children and youth were able to attend the event and that the audience had the benefit of seeing the children’s work up close.

Of the experience Ellis said: “There are hundreds of young people using mediation skills to help each other every day, and it was really powerful to give them national recognition, especially to two schools that have sustained their commitment to peer mediation for years through thick and thin! The children – and their teachers – were really excited to attend. We hope the award will inspire other schools to take on peer mediation.”

The Panel of Judges

The independent judging panel for the 2022 Awards comprised a diverse group of renowned mediators, lawyers, academics and experts and was chaired by Rosemary Jackson KC, leading commercial mediator specialising in construction disputes. At the awards Rosemary praised the quality of nominations and thanked the judges for so diligently distinguishing between the many deserving candidates.

Excitingly, 2022 saw the inclusion of several new awards, for example, each of the Family awards and the ADR Academic Researcher of the Year award. The shortlists comprised many notable and deserving individuals and organisations and all who participated felt rightfully proud of their efforts in the field on mediation.

Throughout the award ceremony each of the winners’ impressive achievements were highlighted by Joanna, with each winner being presented with a beautiful engraved crystal award.

The 2022 Award Winners

The winners were announced as follows:

Amrik Kandola • Civil/Commercial Mediator of the Year

Gillian Caroe • Workplace Mediator of the Year

Helen Adam • Family Mediator of the Year

Helen Adam • Child Inclusive Mediator of the Year

Neil Robinson • PPC Mediator of the Year

Mediation First • Legal Aid Provider of the Year (Family)

Joint Winners: Bacon’s College and Greystones Primary School • Peer Mediation Scheme of the Year

Dominic Collis • SEND Mediator of the Year

Sarah O’Connor • Community Mediator of the Year

Mediation Hertfordshire • Mediation Provider of the Year

Emma McAndry • Mediation Trainer of the Year

Dr Maria Moscati • Diversity and Inclusion Award

Professor Pablo Cortés • ADR Academic Researcher of the Year

Dr Jane Bryan • Innovation Award

Dr Jane Bryan • Newcomer Award

Lisa Parkinson • Significant Achievement Award

There were also special mentions for John Howell MP for his ongoing work as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on ADR, which educates government on alternative dispute resolution and for mediator and former CMC secretary, Iain Christie, for his significant work at the Ministry of Justice in raising awareness of mediation within government. Iain highlighted the exciting future of mediation in light of the government consultation on potential opt-in mediation and regulation.

A Spectacular Event

Of the evening, host Joanna Gosling said: “It was a fantastic evening, recognising some of the best talent in mediation, and made particularly special by being held in the House of Commons.”

Attendees commenting on social media said: “What an amazing list of nominees and what a perfect way to celebrate the contributions both nominees and winners have made to mediation this year.”

Gillian Caroe, winner of the Workplace Mediator of the year commented: “It was a wonderful evening in [such a] stunning venue… Meeting like-minded professionals and hearing about the breadth of amazing work in the mediation sphere was inspiring and made me very proud of our profession.”

Congratulations to all the winners! Now… onwards to the 2024 Awards!

*The National Mediation Awards are held every 2 years. This was the first in-person ceremony post-pandemic. The 2020 awards were held online.

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