Awards for two borough organisations, reports James Cracknell Two Waltham Forest groups have been named among the winners of the 2020 London Faith and […]By Waltham Forest Echo

Farah Ahmed from Waltham Forest Women’s Network with the hampers the group has been sending to care workers during the pandemic

Awards for two borough organisations, reports James Cracknell

Two Waltham Forest groups have been named among the winners of the 2020 London Faith and Belief Community Awards.

In an online ceremony attended by more than 400 people, Waltham Forest Women’s Network (WFWN) and Leyton-based National Cricket League (NCL) were among 40 winners celebrated. The awards recognise people who have “made a positive contribution to their community”.

Farah Ahmed, from Waltham Forest Women’s Network, helped organise hampers to be sent to care workers during the pandemic. She said: “When lockdown happened, WFWN rose-up to the challenge, in the face of adversity, to support the unsung heroes of our society.

“Care workers were left vulnerable and unsupported during the start of the pandemic, [but] our ‘hamper to pamper’ project and our online communication with care workers reinforced our value and gratitude to the hard selfless work they were doing.

“The impact this had was tremendous.”

NCL was also recognised for bringing people together with its summer cricket tournament. The league, founded in 2012, is based in Leytonstone and features a large number of players of south-east Asian heritage.

The awards ceremony was organised by Faith and Belief Forum, a leading interfaith organisation. The 40 winners each received a £500 prize. Forum director Phil Champain said: “London’s faith and belief groups play a crucial and often overlooked role in supporting their communities. The Covid-19 pandemic has left many people in need of additional support, which means that the

services these groups provide and their role in helping people stay connected has been even more important than before.”

No news is bad news

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

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

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.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.