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Make a Difference Awards: London community leader nominated

BBC Yvette McDonaldBBC
Yvette McDonald has been supporting lonely women for the past 14 years

A community leader who supports and brings together vulnerable and lonely women in London has been nominated for a BBC Make a Difference award.

Yvette McDonald, founder of JustBe, has been hosting events and activities for isolated and elderly people for the past 14 years.

The BBC's Make a Difference Awards celebrate local heroes who give their time to improve their communities.

The BBC London ceremony will take place on 4 October at Tate Modern.

Described as someone who "thinks about everyone else before herself" in the awards submission, Yvette's organisation helps "women of all ages live their best lives by enabling them to reach out and connect with other like-minded people".

The Londoner told the BBC she had launched JustBe to help create "a world where women are free to just be", and through day trips and workshops she aimed to "bring people together to laugh and love".

She said the idea for the group ignited after she had suffered from isolation and loneliness in her first marriage and she wanted to create a space for women who just wanted company.

JustBe fashion show
JustBe hold regular events and activities including fashion shows, film nights and trips to the seaside

Her charity has since grown and it recently hosted a fashion show for the local community. The BBC attended the event to speak to people who knew Yvette well.

Alison, who helped found JustBe, said: "I don't know how she does it, but she knows when something is not quite right and she always gives everybody a personal and individual touch."

And JustBe isn't only for women. Seventy-nine-year-old retiree Howard told the BBC: "I've been coming to events for the last 10 years and this is a good place to be, it's really fun."

Another community member, Beverly, said the organisation had "changed my life" and she had been able to meet so other women, with many still her friends today.

The BBC's Make a Difference campaign was set up at the start of the first Covid lockdown in March 2020 to help those needing support.

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