DJ People the Year Awards - Community Development award for Mona

The award for Community Development Person of the Year was awarded, posthumously to Mona McConnell and was received on the night by Margaret Sloan.

Mona was described as a remarkable social worker who went far beyond the call of duty to give dignity to 
the elderly, lonely and homeless.

When she died, it surprised no-one that homeless people and foreign nationals walked alongside her coffin.

While she lived for some time in Belfast, Mona’s roots were in her home city of Derry but she moved to Belfast to set up a small business. From that point, she was to play a positive part in so many people’s lives.

She worked as a social worker throughout some of the worst years of the Troubles and became widely respected.

After many, many years of helping those less fortunate, even ill health would not deter her. Despite being bed ridden for the last two years of her life, she carried on helping the homeless, including arranging Christmas Day meals for those who found themselves alone.