Southwark Faith & Belief Community Awards 2024

Promoting inclusion

Southwark Stands Together demonstrates the council’s commitment to tackling discrimination in all its forms and putting equality and inclusion at the heart of everything we do. We honour and celebrate the rich diversity of people who live and work across the borough. Projects in this category will help remove barriers to opportunities, work with communities to address their needs, offer safe and inclusive spaces that address loneliness and isolation, and create opportunities for people of different faith backgrounds to come together.

Supporting health & wellbeing

Southwark is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all residents in the borough, with a focus on reducing inequalities that we have seen exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rising Cost of Living Crisis. Projects in this category will support people to lead healthy, thriving and happy lives, preventing and addressing physical and mental ill-health, working collaboratively to tackle inequalities, and strengthen communities.

Welcoming refugees

Southwark is proud to be a part of the National City of Sanctuary movement and is committed to making the borough a safe and inclusive place for refugees. Projects in this category will provide a range of support to refugees which may include friendship and mentoring, information and advice, education and employment opportunities and exploring culture and heritage through food and events.

Inspiring young people

Southwark has recently introduced the Youth New Deal which puts young people at the heart of how we deliver services across the borough. We want to make sure no young person is left behind. Projects in this category will work with young people to encourage leadership, support educational and personal development, address the impact and causes of youth violence, and create opportunities for young people to have new experiences and be inspired by each other as well as others.

Caring for the environment

Southwark Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and set 2030 as our target date to get to carbon neutral. The transition to a low carbon society presents an opportunity to reshape our borough into a better place for everyone. Projects in this area will be working with their congregations to raise awareness around green issues, making their places of worship environmentally friendly, reducing their carbon footprint, and creating spaces that support biodiversity and thriving natural environments.

The Southwark Faith & Belief Community Awards celebrate work that is often overlooked and unsung. You may nominate your own work or that of others.

Nominated projects:

• Must either be based in the borough of Southwark or deliver work that benefits people in the borough of Southwark
• Must either be motivated by a certain faith or non-religious belief or deliver work that benefits people from marginalised or faith & belief communities. Nominations from secular or non-religiously affiliated organisations are welcome if they benefit people from marginalised or faith & belief communities
• Can be an individual or a group
• Can be a standalone project, or one initiative of a larger organisation
• Can be run by a registered charity or a community group
• Can be run entirely by volunteers or have paid staff
• Cannot have previously received wider recognition, either at a regional or national level, including at an F&BF event. However, a different project by the same organisation can be nominated if it has not previously received wider recognition

Click here for the Faith & Belief Community Awards Terms, Conditions and Rules.

The judging panel will base their decisions on the need for the project, the impact the project has in addressing that need, and exceptionality – which could be about innovation, uniqueness, sustainability or overcoming barriers to establish the project. Further guidance is provided on the nomination form.

Projects could increase a sense of belonging for overlooked or under-supported groups; increase life chances through engagement, education, and wellbeing; and impact communities or individual beneficiaries. Winners will have a track record of achieving aims, with transformative and lasting impact on beneficiaries.

Winning projects will receive:

• A certificate
• Automatic entry into the judging for the Faith & Belief Forum’s London Awards in November 2024
• Reception at the Mayor’s Parlour 
• More prizes to be announced soon!

Nominations are now closed. Thank you to all who made a nomination. The judges are now reviewing the nominations, and we will be in touch with nominated projects and individuals soon!

The application form is broken down into three sections:

• Key project information: Contact name, contact details, social media links and charity number (if applicable)
• Project description: Three questions about the project, which the judges can use to make their decision. Each question has a 200-word limit.
• Referee: Someone who we can contact to verify the work of your nomination and their contact details. The referee cannot be a paid employee of the project being nominated – they can be a volunteer, trustee, beneficiary, or anyone else familiar with the work, as long as it’s unpaid.

Central to making a good nomination is clearly describing what the project does and who it impacts, as well as giving clear examples and evidence of the impact of the project, for example through statistics, case studies or quotes. If you have any questions about the Southwark Faith & Belief Community Awards, please get in touch via sophie.mitchell@faithbeliefforum.org