North London Citizens marks 15 years with stories, food and hope

North London Citizens marks 15 years with stories, food and hope

North London Citizens gathered at St Cuthbert's Church in Kilburn on 3rd September 2026 to mark 15 years of the alliance, bringing together member organisations, community leaders and long-time allies from across North and North West London for an evening of food, shared stories and dreams of hope.

North London Citizens was founded on 30th March 2011 with 800 leaders at Friends House, Euston. Since then, member institutions across North London have come together to win real change on issues that matter most to communities: the real Living Wage, safer streets, and a more welcoming city for people from all walks of life. This celebration brought that history to life, with guests hearing stories from the people who built the alliance from the ground up.

Where it all began

With a follow-up assembly in November 2011 at Union Chapel, people of different faiths and sectors gathered because they believed that together they could stand up for something bigger than any one group alone.

Aliya Azam (pictured above), representing the Al-Khoei Foundation, alongside Al-Zahra and Al-Sadiq Schools, was there that night. She recalled three faith leaders each reading from their sacred texts in the same room: the Quran, the Torah, and the Bible. That same spirit of different communities working side by side has carried through every campaign since.

Edward Badu, from the Centre for Theology and Community, was also part of that first year, and later led young people's response to the 2011 Tottenham riots. Just 17 at the time, he helped gather hundreds of conversations with local people and turned them into a Work Plan that brought a thousand jobs and opportunities for young people to the area.

Standing with people seeking safety

Supporting refugees and people seeking asylum has been a constant thread through North London Citizens' history. In 2015, Finchley Progressive Synagogue worked with local student unions, faith groups and local councillors to make Barnet the first Conservative-run council in the country to resettle Syrian refugees, welcoming 50 families to the borough.

More recently, Sufra in Stonebridge helped lead a 2024 campaign with Finchley Progressive Synagogue and others to make bus travel affordable for people seeking asylum, who often receive just £9 a week to live on. After two years of action, including visits to London City Hall, Transport for London agreed to accept Application Registration Cards as valid proof of identity, opening up existing transport concessions to thousands more Londoners.

Young people leading the way

North London Citizens has a long history of children and young people driving positive change. At the celebration, Noelle Doona shared how, after the tragic loss of a headteacher to suicide in 2014, students at Hendon School built the Stamp Out Stigma campaign. Ten years on, more than 40 students have given over 4,000 hours to the campaign, securing a signed charter from local mental health services and inspiring some to pursue careers in mental health.

Looking ahead to 2027 and beyond

As the evening drew to a close, North London Citizens set out its plans for the future. The alliance intends to go deeper into local communities in 2027, building trust through one-to-one relationships and local clusters of organisations working closely together. With the Mayor of London election in 2028 and a possible general election in 2029 on the horizon, a stronger and more connected alliance will be well placed to make its voice heard.

The evening closed with guests reflecting on 15 years of shared achievement, and looking ahead to what the alliance can build next.