Tottenham community hub praised for 'outstanding service'

Tottenham Lighthouse Community Hub provides food, hope, warm spaces, and mental health support

Seventh Day Adventist Church, Tottenham (credit HBB Photography) — Volunteers from Seventh Day Adventist Church, Tottenham, with the mayor of Haringey Ahmed Mahbub (credit HBB Photography)

The mayor of Haringey visited a Tottenham community hub to honour 30 “local heroes” for their “outstanding service” to the local area.

The volunteer team, led by Sophia Charles – recipient of the Mayor’s Hero Award 2024 – were praised for their work through the Tottenham Lighthouse Community Hub, a project providing food, hope, warm spaces, and mental-health support five days a week.

The “inspiring” event was attended by over 200 residents and church members, as well as 300 viewers online, as mayor Ahmed Mahbub and deputy mayor Michelle Simmons-Safo attended the community volunteer recognition service.

Dr Jude Jeanville, pastor of the Tottenham Lighthouse Seventh-day Adventist Church in West Green Road which hosts the hub, said: “People matter – In a world that measures worth by wealth, appearance, or productivity, it’s easy to forget that every person matters and every person deserves value, dignity and hope.”

The hub supports over 300 residents weekly, benefits around 1,200 family members, and has distributed more than £20,000 in direct financial assistance. Its annual community impact now exceeds £150,000. Additionally, another outreach enterprise run by the church called ‘Sharing the Love’, under the leadership of Maxine Donovan, is committed to reaching residents on a one-to-one basis and assisting them with sim cards, legal advice and help to contact energy suppliers and other services offered by the council.

Cllr Ahmed commended the church for spreading love in the community, while Cllr Simmons-Safo recognised the value of the church to the community.

The church and civic leaders expressed gratitude to partners including 3Food4U (Pesh), Godwin Lawson Foundation, Stratford SDA Church, Luke and Reena, Hanwell SDA Church, Soho Sandwiches, Auldrea and Kingsley Onyemenem, and Movery Livingston for their ongoing contributions.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.