The Leeds United Foundation, club partner Fanatics and Leeds United Managing Director Robbie Evans were proud to present Hamara with the Community Partner of the Year Award at their inaugural Supporting Our City Awards on Wednesday evening.
The partnership between Hamara and the club's official charity spans over a decade, and they have collaborated on numerous projects, helping to make a real difference to the local community.
The work that has taken place through the partnership, includes grassroots activity all the way to large-scale programmes, with each project bringing opportunities and building on connections, creating a lasting impact.
Hamara is set right at the heart of the community, very close to Elland Road, in Beeston, and it provides numerous provisions, including a food bank, support for older people, and even a fully inclusive gym.
Hamara Project Lead, Aliya Panjwani, spoke on the partnership and said: “We have got a longstanding partnership with the Leeds United Foundation and it is something we are really thankful for. Our partnership is all about providing sports provisions across the city and in the most deprived areas.
“We’re currently running the ‘Active Through Football’ programme and that’s opened so many doors for the local community to get moving and involved with football in a completely different way than they have before.
“We had our Iftar at Elland Road in my first year at Hamara, and I got to experience the beauty and magic of the stadium. The minute you walked through those doors you just saw faces light up."
“This award really reflects the hard work, dedication, and shared vision of everyone involved,” said Deputy Director of Hamara, Najeen Rasool. “A huge thank you to Ben, Frances, and the rest of the team at the Leeds United Foundation.
“We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved together, and we’re really excited for what the future holds.”
This award recognises Hamara not just as a partner, but as a driving force for positive change. Their passion, dedication, and belief in the power of community have helped the Foundation reach further, connect deeper, and make a real difference.
From all at Leeds United, we’d like to congratulate Hamara on its award and thank them for their contributions to the Leeds United Foundation.
We’d also like to thank the Peer Support Service for People Living With Dementia, which has been highly commended for this award.
