BATCA COMMUNITY HEROES 2024 celebration 5 March 2024
- BATCA was delighted to celebrate our community heroes at the Memon Hall, Balham on 5 March 2024
- 160 people joined together to hear inspirational stories of everyday heroes alongside local councillors, faith leaders, Deputy Mayor of Wandsworth, Sana Jaffri, Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Council, Kemi Akinola, and Tooting MP, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
- The awards were supported by sponsors Islamic Relief, Howden and Enable
This year there were three awards categories and we received 238 nominations for 23 individuals and groups working hard for Tooting and Balham. Nominees included those working in community arts, providing help for homeless people, promoting rights for disabled people and increasing access to health checks across the community.
- Arts and culture
People or organisations that are active in the arts and culture for the benefit of the community.
Winner (individual): Susan Pearson who organising community art loans, organising art shows and bringing together diverse creative people in Tooting and Wandsworth, particularly for Sprout Arts https://www.sproutarts.com
Winner (team): St Anselm’s Primary School for initiating a ‘Planet Tooting Week’ championing the history and diversity of this area https://www.stanselms.wandsworth.sch.uk
- Promoting Social Inclusion and Fighting Poverty
Activities that help those impacted by the cost of living crisis or who face social exclusion.
Winner (individual): Agnes Henry who ‘goes above and beyond to support the homeless at Holy Trinity’s Homeless Café’ https://www.ctbut.co.uk/holytrinityuppertooting
Winner (team): Sahar and Servut Beg for volunteering to provide events enriching the lives of under privileged refugees and young people across the community.
- General
Any activity involving service to others that doesn’t fall into the categories above.
Winner (individual): Maisha Sumah for her engagement in ending violence against women and girls.
Joint winner (team): A2ndVoice CIC Holiday club who provide support for autistic people and families through online and in-person activity within the local community https://www.facebook.com/A2ndVoice
Joint winner (team): Wandsworth Community Transport for delivering community transport for all ages across Wandsworth https://wctbus.org.uk
Finally, the BATCA Powerhouse award, selected by the Committee, was awarded to Cllr Paul White for his long history of regular volunteering and support in Tooting’s diverse communities.
Highly Commended
In addition to our winners, the following nominees received Highly Commended certificates:
All Saints Wandsworth Arts Fringe Festival Fringe Committee for organising a two-week Festival of the Arts https://www.allsaintstooting.org.uk
Tooting Bal Sanskar Group for teaching Hindu education, Gujarati languages, festivals, Indian food and culture https://www.facebook.com/tootingbalsanskar
Anissa Daud for increasing provision of primary health care access across all communities in Balham and Tooting.
Micheline Mason for promoting inclusive education and rights for disabled people https://michelinemason.co.uk
Yvonne Panton for working as a community cook for the Holy Trinity Thursday Club https://www.ctbut.co.uk/holytrinityuppertooting
Darren Short for his work as team leader at Tooting Community Kitchen, supporting homeless people https://www.facebook.com/Tootcomkitchen
Balham Team, DONS Local Action Group for providing a local food bank and encouraging young adults to volunteer https://donslocalaction.org
Furniture Team, DONS Local Action Group for providing furniture, mattresses and appliances to residents in need https://donslocalaction.org
Adam Gani, Zain Ghani and Nadeem Mian for engaging with families affected by autism and inceasing support provided by the mosque
People in Need Today (PINT) for supporting homeless, older and vulnerable people through outreach and emergency assistance https://www.instagram.com/pintgiving
Thursday Club, Holy Trinity, Upper Tooting for providing a weekly social evening and supper for people with long-term mental health conditions https://www.ctbut.co.uk/holytrinityuppertooting
Tooting Community Kitchen for providing and distributing food and creating social connections https://www.facebook.com/Tootcomkitchen
Walk and Talk Wandsworth for providing a new activity meeting on Tooting Common every Saturday to combat loneliness https://www.facebook.com/groups/wandsworthwalkandtalk
Dave Mauger (Tooting Newsie) for providing a local digital news service and support for community groups, businesses and residents https://www.instagram.com/tootingnewsie
Maryam Tayub for engaging with the wider community through Balham Mosque and Tooting Islamic Centre https://balhammosque.org/
Pearl Chemist Group Vaccination Team for providing frontline healthcare including volunteers helping coordinate patients and make them feel welcome and relaxed https://www.pearlchemistgroup.co.uk
Want to know more, or get involved?
Our next event is our Community Fun Day on Broadwater Road, SW17, Saturday 22 June, 2024
Balham and Tooting Community Association 