Haringey 'community heroes' honoured at awards ceremony

Over 250 people attended the Haringey Community Showcase event last week, writes Taro Kaneko

Haringey’s ‘community heroes of 2024’ have been celebrated for their achievements across the borough.

Over 250 people attended the Haringey Community Showcase event last week to celebrate and award individuals and organisations in Haringey.

The showcase was organised by Haringey Community Collaborative, a joint initiative between Public Voice and Mind in Haringey in partnership with the council and the NHS.

Lynette Charles, CEO of Mind in Haringey, said: “The first Haringey Community Showcase exhibited the borough’s vibrant and diverse voluntary and community sector.

“I would like to give a huge thank you to councillor Ajda Ovat for opening the event, and to the mayor of Haringey, Sue Jameson, who helped us honour those individuals and organisations that won awards for their work serving our community, nominated by their peers and community members.”

The event hosted 50 stalls of community organisations, giving attendees the opportunity to explore the initiatives and services ranging from mental health programmes to sustainability projects.

The award ceremony saw a winner from each of the nine categories: health and wellbeing, children and young people, sustainability, education, community safety, arts and culture and inclusion.

Streetz Ahead, a dance organisation, won the ‘children and young people’ award. Ark Resettlement Services, a charity specialising in supporting ex-offenders, won the ‘community safety’ award. The Daughters United, a female support organisation, won the prestigious ‘outstanding organisation of the year’ award.

The awards were decided through votes from members of the public.

The first round of the voluntary and community sector’s ‘Challenge Fund’, a grant programme that provides between £2,000 and £3,000 in financial support to organisations that help communities address key issues, was awarded to eight organisations. They include Bounds Green Food Bank, Haringey Over 50s Forum and Women at the Well of Living Waters.

Dan Rogers, CEO of Public Voice, said: “We are excited to provide much-needed funding and capacity building support to the awarded projects, as well as showcasing their impact to future funders and partners.”

Pop Arts and New River Shanty Crew gave live performances alongside speeches from community figures, including Cllr Jameson.

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