A 22-year-old young adult who was born and grew up in Southall’s Havelock estate is the recipient of the prestigious Diana Award for his contributions to the community and how he inspires local people.
Nominated by Catalyst, the housing association that manages a number of homes on the estate, Sulaiman Iqbal, founded in 2019 Team UPside, a youth-driven community initiative that provides free of charge academic and career support to young people from less privileged backgrounds in the area.
Over the past three years and with a small team of volunteers, Sulaiman has provided support to thousands of young people through summer drop-in clinics, online learning schools, an email helpdesk and a bi-weekly newsletter.
Named after Diana, Princess of Wales, the international award was established in 1999 and is the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9-25 can receive for their social action or humanitarian work.
Sulaiman received the award at a virtual ceremony, introduced by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, where he spoke to an international audience about the mission and purpose of Team Upside to support young people from less-advantaged socio-economic backgrounds to achieve their full potential.
Nicola Wheeler, head of community investment at Catalyst, a subsidiary of the Peabody Group said: ‘It was an absolute honour to nominate Sulaiman for The Diana Award for his work and achievements in the Havelock community and we’re thrilled he’s received this amazing recognition.”
Ms Wheeler added: “Sulaiman has tirelessly dedicated thousands of hours to community cohesion and social mobility, consciously giving back and creating positive social change for communities rooted in his upbringing. In addition, he has been instrumental in several legacy projects at the University of Cambridge where he studied history, founding initiatives that champion access within the Islamic Society.”
