Dangoor Awards celebrate decade of London’s faith communities

Jewish philanthropist Dr David Dangoor CBE has hailed London’s diversity as a source of strength, as the awards bearing his name celebrated a decade of grassroots community action.

Speaking exclusively to Jewish News at the tenth London Dangoor Awards, Dangoor said the capital should embrace the different communities and backgrounds that make it what it is.

“London is a diverse realm. It’s a great thing, taking difference and making it rich,” he said.

Dangoor said the work recognised by the awards offered a positive counterpoint to the negative narratives surrounding communities in London.

Hundreds of charity workers, volunteers and faith leaders gathered at the Royal Society of Medicine in central London on Tuesday evening for the tenth anniversary ceremony, which opened with a performance by the Citizens of the World Choir.

The awards were established through a partnership between Dangoor, outgoing Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London Sir Kenneth Olisa and the Faith & Belief Forum, as part of Olisa’s wider work to strengthen connections between London’s communities.

Over the past decade, 1,132 projects have been recognised, and 348 winners celebrated, spanning communities across London and a wide range of faith and belief backgrounds.

This year’s awards spanned eight categories: Tackling Poverty, Schools and Educational Establishments, Interfaith Relations, Environmental Sustainability, Health and Wellbeing, Inspiring Youth, Promoting Inclusion and Supporting Women.

Marking the anniversary, Dangoor said: “We are not just celebrating faith and belief. We are celebrating values – values many of us share, whatever faith or beliefs we have.

“This is about recognising the hard work and dedication of some incredible unsung heroes, and highlighting the power of diverse community groups to generate social resilience.”

Jewish organisations were among those recognised during the anniversary celebrations.

The Jewish Volunteering Network was one of eight groups presented with a special ten-year award. The Barnet-based charity connects volunteers with opportunities across the Jewish community and wider charity sector and helps organisations strengthen their volunteering programmes.

It was honoured alongside Ramadan Tent Project, NishkamSWAT, Muslimah Sports Association, Supporting Humanity, Salaam Peace, Power the Fight and Yog Foundation.

Several Jewish projects were also among the 2026 winners.

Hand in Hand Support received an Inspiring Youth award. It began in 2015 as “Shabbat Walk”, when a small group of Jewish teenagers from Golders Green walked to their local hospital on Saturday afternoons to visit lonely patients.

The organisation has since grown to more than 1,200 active volunteers and supports more than 2,500 people each year, with young people volunteering with vulnerable children, families and isolated adults.

Mother to Mother, which primarily supports Jewish families during the early stages of parenthood, received a Health and Wellbeing award. Since 2018, the Barnet project has supported more than 850 families, provided more than 21,000 meals and generated more than 10,000 volunteer hours.

Jewish Care’s Jami Head Room café was also recognised for its mental health work, while UK Jewish Film was among those honoured in the Schools and Educational Establishments category.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, in a recorded message played during the ceremony, described the capital’s faith communities as “an incredible force for good”.

“Day in and day out, you support neighbours in need, step up for your communities in times of crisis, and bring people of all faiths and backgrounds together,” he said.

“This work has always mattered. But at a time when division and prejudice are on the rise, it matters now more than ever. Our capital’s greatest strength is our diversity.”

Khan said London’s unity “hasn’t happened by accident”, but had been “carefully nurtured, strengthened, and sustained over generations by people like you”.

The King also sent a message marking the anniversary, thanking those associated with the awards and highlighting the “vital contributions made by London’s diverse faith and belief communities”.

The evening also marked the approaching end of Olisa’s tenure as Lord-Lieutenant, a role he will leave in October after more than a decade.

“You are the antidote to the negative,” he said.

Recalling criticism he received after putting faith at the heart of his work as Lord-Lieutenant, he added: “Evil people are the cause of most of the world’s problems, and faith is the antidote.”

“Faith is the way we bring things together.”

Olisa was surprised during the ceremony with a silver Armada dish marking his retirement and “exceptional service to London”.

Paying tribute, Michael Ziff, chair of trustees at the Faith & Belief Forum, said one of the most important parts of Olisa’s legacy was the way he had championed London “as a city where people of different faiths, beliefs, cultures and backgrounds can live alongside one another”.

He said this went beyond “simple tolerance” to “genuine understanding, respect and friendship”.

Ziff added: “You have brought energy, warmth and humanity to the role of Lord-Lieutenant. You have used it to make a real difference to communities across this extraordinary city.”

Faith & Belief Forum chief executive Carrie Alderton said the awards were intended to shine a light on work that often goes unnoticed.

“These awards only exist to honour the fantastic work that people do, day in, day out, which is often unfunded, unseen and unthanked,” she said.

“We are in a context of polarised ideological and political divides, as well as a socio-economic disparity, which is pulling many of our communities apart.

“And yet in every project represented here, we have seen connection, bringing people together at a local level, building relationships. They are charting a new way forward.”

Bushra Nasir CBE DL, chair of the Council on Faith, said the number of organisations doing such work had surpassed expectations from the awards’ earliest days.

“In the first year, I remember somebody on the Faith Council thinking: are there enough people out there doing this work for us to continue?” she said.

“Well – there are thousands and thousands of charities, and the London Dangoor Awards are just a small token of recognition for the fantastic work that is being done.”

With Olisa preparing to step down, the tenth anniversary also marked a period of transition for the Greater London Lieutenancy.

After ten years, the awards have become a showcase for work that often happens away from public view – recognising volunteers and community groups supporting Londoners and building relationships across faith and belief divides.