Celebrating excellence: G15 pays tribute to community champions

Community leaders and groups working with housing associations across the G15 are celebrating their success in the partnership’s very first Community Impact Awards.

Their outstanding achievements were recognised at an awards ceremony held at Peabody’s Burridge Gardens Community Centre in Clapham, south west London, yesterday evening (5 February).

In addition to publishing its annual Community Impact Report, this year G15 members representing London’s largest housing associations submitted nominations for the most inspiring and impactful community-led projects of 2024.

Community champions and groups from across the G15 were nominated in the categories of ‘community,’ ‘sustainability,’ ‘wellbeing’ and ‘diversity.’

These were selected because they best represent priority concerns for residents and their communities in achieving equality of opportunity.

At the ceremony, G15 Chair and L&Q Group Chief Executive, Fiona Fletcher-Smith, and A2Dominion resident representative, David Kingsley, presented winners with their awards. They each received a certificate and community grant per project.

The award recipients had been selected following a shortlisting process by a panel that included housing association residents.

Fiona Fletcher-Smith said:

“The G15 Community Impact Awards and Report showcase the dedication, commitment and passion of residents and community leaders who selflessly give up their time to support those most in need.

"We at the G15 are all too aware of the challenges residents face due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, which hits disadvantaged people the hardest. Our social value work with local partners removes barriers to engagement and opportunity, especially for marginalised groups, to help create a more level playing field for residents in deprived areas.

“While it’s vitally important to celebrate and congratulate these worthy award-winners, this is also an opportunity to highlight the essential role of housing associations in supporting communities and tackling the housing crisis, and the urgent need for long-term investment.

"Equipping housing associations with the financial capacity to deliver the affordable homes we need alongside the social value we create is more important than ever.”

Two projects supported by L&Q won their categories:

Outstanding contribution by a Community Champion delivering Environmental projects: Dave Bedford, L&Q resident, co-founder and leader of the Lower Regent’s Coalition.

Outstanding contribution by a Community Champion delivering Health and Wellbeing projects: Aliya Bukhari, Voice of BME, L&Q’s Limelight health and wellbeing hub, Trafford, Manchester.

The financial year 2023/24 was unprecedented in terms of the collective contributions of G15 members to community investment projects.

There were close to 320,000 participants in community investment projects. Community investment was almost £27.5m while over £52.7m of social value (feeling financially better off, securing work and exercising regularly) was realised.

The 2024 G15 Community Impact Report (PDF) features all nominations.

Read the Community Investment in Numbers summary report (PDF).

Naomi Gabrielle Photography on behalf of G15 London.