The Jo Smith Heritage Award for Outstanding Volunteers, honours the legacy of Jo Smith (1969-2022), a dedicated trustee of The Chamberlain Highbury Trust. The award is bestowed annually to a volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to the work of the Trust, showing exceptional dedication, creativity, innovation, or leadership. Volunteers can self-nominate or be nominated by others.
The Trust’s mission is to preserve the historic Highbury estate as a hub for education, entertainment, and community engagement.
Through a variety of roles such as tour guides, gardens maintenance volunteers, and trustees volunteers assist with a diverse programme of events, fundraising, restoration projects, acquisitions, and our youth programmes.
Volunteers are key to the work of the Trust and play a crucial role in the Trust’s success. The Jo Smith Heritage Award celebrates their invaluable contributions.
The recipient of the Jo Smith Heritage Award 2025 was Phillada Ballard. A founding Trustee of Chamberlain Highbury Trust, Phillada is a historical consultant with extensive knowledge of Highbury and the Chamberlain family, built up through many years of academic and on-the-ground research. Over her many years as a volunteer Phillada has made, and continues to make, an outstanding contribution to the project to restore Highbury, providing invaluable advice and guidance to the Trust.