The third
Heart of Gold Awards were held by the Balsall Heath Forum – a ceremony that welcomed more than 350 people from all
backgrounds, faiths and ages who came together with one common goal and as one community at the Balsall Heath Church Centre, which was said to be full to capacity. Others who attended the evening included local councillors, police officers, housing officers and a variety of organisations.
The well received evening was split into parts. The first being some fantastic entertainment by Clifton school children and the launch of the clean a scene project which will see a mass clean up around Balsall Heath on the 7th July. The second part was applauding the 8 winners of the heart of gold awards picked by the community and recognised during the evening for going beyond the call of duty not for themselves selflessly, but for their neighbours and wider neighbourhood.
One of the pione
ers on the awards and
long standing community person Abdullah of Balsall Heath Forum said “These individuals are not just thinking about themselves but about the wider neighbourhood and deserve to be commended and applauded as our local heroes with Hearts of Gold.”
Guests included Tariq Jahan w
ho lost his son in the 2011 Riots and commented. “It was beautiful to see the community working together from all backgrounds and it really inspired me.”
Najma Hafeez former Councillor who continues to show support for Balsall Heath Forum remarked, “It was a pleasure to witness the Heart of Gold awards winners this year and to pay tribute to so many unsung heroes who work tirelessly to make this community a better place to live, it was truly humbling”
Prominent businessman Nazir Awan commented, “I would like to say that the award ceremony was a wonderful and enjoyable event for all concerned those attending as well as those receiving the awards.
Chief Editor for the Birmingham Mail and guest of honour Mr David Brookes summed up the evening by giving a very inspiring speech and commented on how much Balsall Heath residents have achieved through hard work and commitment and said he would be back very soon.
By Emb Hashmi
