Now in its fifth year running, Nextdoor’s Good Neighbourhood Awards are a chance for neighbours to nominate the people in their neighbourhood who make a difference in their everyday lives. Each year, we read the incredible, heartwarming stories of local heroes going above and beyond to make their neighbourhoods better places to live.
With well over 5,000 entries this year, the competition was tough but Charlie Baxter’s story shone through and we’re delighted to announce her as 2022’s Neighbour of the Year! 🏆🏆🏆
Described as “a pillar of strength for her local community”, Charlie has worked tirelessly to fundraise £14,000 to help 28 local families rebuild their lives after a fire. She also encouraged neighbours to open up their homes to help those impacted by the fire, making sure that the families felt like they always had a home, despite the circumstances.
Despite having five children of her own, Charlie works to improve the lives of local children with the local scout group. She organises experiences for the children that they ordinarily might not have access to. One of the experiences was a trip to Margate which saw some children visit the beach for the very first time.
During the summer months and knowing the difficulty of organising childcare, Charlie organised a ‘stay and play’ group giving parents the opportunity to have their children looked after while they had to work. Using resources from her business, Charlie provided the children with hours of entertainment with bouncy castles and inflatables.
On winning the Neighbour of the Year award, Charlie Baxter said:
“I was completely blown away when I learnt I had won Neighbour of the Year 2022. Nextdoor has played a massive part in connecting my community, not only volunteer-wise but also for the scout group I run. Being able to advertise this on Nextdoor has had an incredible impact in getting the kids off the street and introducing them to more of a structure. That’s why, with the prize money, I would love to take a group of children to the theatre to give them the opportunity to experience something that they wouldn’t usually have access to.”
At Nextdoor, our purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighbourhood to rely on. From all of us at Nextdoor Charlie, congratulations and thank you for being an amazing neighbour! 👏👏
Feeling inspired? Read more of our Good Neighbourhood Award stories here.
