A Leicester housing co-operative is marking 50 years of community work, celebrating with an awards evening for tenants, volunteers and neighbours.
Belgrave Neighbourhood Co-operative Housing Association (BNCHA) will hold its 50th anniversary celebration alongside its annual general meeting and Good Neighbour Awards today at the Platinum Suite in Leicester.
Established in 1976, BNCHA has provided housing across Belgrave for half a century. Its work now extends beyond its housing stock to include a food hub, health and wellbeing activities, a community garden, events and local partnerships.
Jaimini Bharakhada, chair and chief executive of BNCHA, said: “Fifty years is an incredible milestone for BNCHA, but this celebration really belongs to the people.
“It belongs to the tenant members who built and shaped our co-operative, but also to the neighbours, volunteers, community members, partners and friends who have become part of the BNCHA journey along the way.
“One of the things I am most proud of is that BNCHA has grown to mean more than the homes we provide. We opened our doors to the wider community and, somewhere along the way, they became part of us, and we became part of them.
“#DoItWithLove is something I gave to BNCHA because, for me, it says everything about who we should be. It isn’t just a hashtag. It’s about putting people at the heart of what we do, caring about the difference we make and remembering that sometimes the smallest act of kindness can mean everything to someone.
“That is the BNCHA I believe in. A place where people feel welcome, valued and that they belong. And that is what I hope we carry with us into the next 50 years.”
The Good Neighbour Awards will also recognise neighbourly kindness, community service and the achievements of young people, including the Manjula Sood Community Champion Award, created in memory of Councillor Manjula Sood MBE.
BNCHA is separately marking its anniversary through Belgrave Stories, an initiative inviting local people to share photographs, newspaper cuttings and memories of their homes, streets and community – helping preserve Belgrave’s history for future generations.
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