Awarding the borough’s Third Sector champions

The valuable contributions made by Third Sector organisations in the borough were celebrated at a special awards ceremony on Tuesday 18 February.
Organised by Tower Hamlets Council, the Third Sector Excellence Awards recognised the outstanding services provided by local not-for-profit groups.
Largely run by volunteers, and often unheralded, Third Sector organisations provide a huge range of services in areas such as housing, arts, social care, health, community cohesion and many more. This can include anything from offering advice, support and training to organising football matches for kids to keep them off the streets and supporting disabled residents in their lives.
Third sector organisations were invited to submit nominations in 12 distinct categories and awards were presented to organisations which had demonstrated significant achievements and impacts on the community. The winners were selected by an independent panel made up of officers from Tower Hamlets Council and London Councils.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman thanked all of the organisations who attended the night for their endless work in making Tower Hamlets a great place to live.
He said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to all the winners who, through hard work and dedication, provide services which are essential to our residents. They have shown real commitment to their various causes and demonstrate how the community can work together to the benefit of each other.
“And although there can only be a few winners on the night, I would also like to thank all of the organisations in our third sector who work so hard to deliver our shared vision of improving the quality of life of everyone who lives and works in Tower Hamlets.”
Councillor Alibor Choudhury, cabinet member for Resources, added: “These awards were a great way for us to recognise the important work third sector organisations undertake for our community, providing our residents with a number of services which are essential to local people.”
In addition to the award presentations, grants were confirmed for Round 2b of the European Social Fund (ESF) Community Grants programme and Round 3 was officially launched at the event.
The ESF Grants are equally funded by London Councils and Tower Hamlets Council, and provide support for projects which tackle disadvantages in the employment market for vulnerable people. This includes the long term unemployed, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and migrants. Organisations can apply for grants of up to £12,500.