Man says 'Liverpool this one's for you' after award win

A Liverpool chaplain dedicated his speech to the city after he won the Most Impactful Imam award at a ceremony. Adam Kelwick, leader of the historic Abdullah Quilliam Mosque off West Derby Road, learnt he was shortlisted for the prestigious accolade after he received a notification on his phone.

The 42-year-old, from Toxteth, said he was “pleasantly surprised” when he opened his emails to see he was among those in the finals. Over the weekend, the Imam was crowned the winner at the British Beacon Mosque Awards 2024.

His nomination came on the back of his humanitarian and community work, including his dedication to aid work in crisis zones like Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Somalia and his impactful interfaith outreach.

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Imam Adam told the ECHO: “The award recognised the work done during the riots, but I know it wasn't just about me. So I'm dedicating this award to the people of Liverpool, who really came together during difficult times.

“For those who came to defend our mosque and our communities. Even for those who protested but later reflected and opened their hearts. Liverpool, this one is for you.”

The awards, established by Faith Associates UK in 2018, are held annually to highlight the outstanding and inspirational initiatives of mosques across the UK and recognise the role mosques play in delivering exceptional services.

Faith Associates was established as a non-theological consultancy to meet the needs of ethnic minority faith-based communities. It works in a culturally sensitive, multidisciplinary way to provide research, training, advice, and guidance to influence the challenges faced by communities.

Adam was instrumental in the de-escalation of the summer riots, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. He said: “Many people in the community had my back; they were behind me, and they supported what I wanted to do. It’s not just an award for me.

“I feel embarrassed when I’m nominated as an individual for these kinds of things. This nomination celebrates the community and not just me as a person because, ultimately, it was a community response.

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"It’s an award for the mosque, the hundreds of people who came out to counter-protest and even for those who came out to protest and eventually became our friends and visited the mosque the week after. It’s an award for everyone who wants peace in the city.

“We were threatened with hostility, but my main priority was to quell that hostility. But after that, after all the emotion, passion, and hate had settled, I saw it as an opportunity to start building bridges, and that’s what we did. We’re still building bridges to this day, and we’ve seen some amazing things come out of it.”