The Faith & Belief Forum has revealed the six winners of its inaugural Barnet Faith & Belief Awards.

The forum, in conjunction with Barnet Multi Faith Forum and Middlesex University, gifted £250 each to five winning projects across five categories, a prize provided by Barnet Group. A special commendation was also awarded.

A ceremony took place online on Wednesday, 26th January, with Esmond Rosen, president of Barnet Multi Faith Forum, describing the event as “an amazing evening of high drama from beginning to end, showcasing what the faith sector has achieved for the benefit of all who live, work, learn, study, play and pray in Barnet.”

While Jessica Hazrati, programmes officer for the Faith & Belief Form, praised the winners for continuing their often “unnoticed” grassroots efforts.

Hazrati said:““Having worked in the interfaith sector of over twenty years, we at F&BF have seen the power faith and belief communities have in transforming their communities for the better.

“This work that happens at the grassroots often goes unnoticed by wider society, due to the humility of those delivering the work but also sometimes due to incorrect assumptions about the role and influence of faith and belief in society.”

So, who won on the night? In the ‘health and wellbeing’ category, Burnt Oak Community Food Bank, which opened in March 2021, won for its response to the ongoing pandemic and cost of living crisis. So far, it has amassed 17 volunteers to help feed over 10,000 people (and counting).

Shelter Together in Barnet won the ‘interfaith relations’ award for its work providing care packages of essentials to people living in temporary accommodation – as well as it’s 17-year history of aiding those experiencing homelessness.

For ‘inspiring youth’, Barnet’s Baha’i community were commended for their English language classes provided to asylum seekers, while charity The Paperweight Trust was awarded for it’s ‘outstanding Covid-19 response’, which saw them devote more than 50,000 volunteer hours in 2021 alone to provide support and guidance to the Jewish community.

Another category, focused on ‘environmental sustainability’, was won by MTO Sustainability, an initiative by the Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi (MTO) Shahmaghsoudi School of Islamic Sufism to ensure its buildings are designed, built and operated with the planet and sustainability in mind.

Finally, a special commendation was given to the Brent-based Hindu temple, Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury, for becoming the first mandir to open a vaccination centre – which administered more than 20,000 Covid-19 jabs in the first five months of 2021.

Judging the shortlist were community leaders and sector workers, including the Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University, Nic Beech, and Totteridge Cllr Caroline Stock.