THE Guyana High Commission in London in association with Western Union will host the United Kingdom's first awards ceremony dedicated to members of the Guyanese community there.

The event, which will reward Guyanese efforts, takes place on Saturday, October 13 at the Croydon Town Hall.

First Lady, Mrs. Varshnie Jagdeo will present the awards, while Guyanese TV broadcaster and politician, Trevor Phillips will host the ceremony.

Honoured guests will include Baroness Amos, Foreign Office Minister and the Mayor of Croydon.

Household names are expected to be among the 20 award recipients. Famous Guyanese in the U.K include Lords Ouseley, Alli and Baroness Amos, Ram John Holder, Dr. Raj Persaud, writers David Dabydeen and Wilson Harris, poet John Agard and musician Professor Ian Hall.

The historic event is taking place under the auspices of High Commissioner Laleshwar Singh who said he is very grateful to Western Union for "kindly giving their good name to our unique Guyanese event."

Western Union Managing Director, Henk Elzenga said the company is a strong believer in community spirit and in recognising the efforts of individuals who enhance the meaning of multiculturalism.

"The Guyanese community has been making an impact on the U.K for generations, hence we are very proud to be part of making Guyanese history in the U.K. Guyana is also one of our top locations for sending money from the U.K and we wanted to say a thank you to our customers," Elzenga said.