Fifty years of homes, community and belonging as Belgrave co-operative celebrates milestone
For 50 years, Stop Social Housing Stigma Friend member – Belgrave Neighbourhood Co-operative Housing Association (BNCHA) has been part of the changing story of the Belgrave area of Leicester.
This wonderful tenant-led housing co-operative is marking its milestone by celebrating the tenant members who built and shaped it, and the neighbours, volunteers, community members and partners who have become part of its journey.
Established in 1976 to provide much needed homes for people in housing need in the area, the community BNCHA serves is filled with diversity and cultures – one of the largest Asian communities in the UK with a strong local identity, but also with new cultural and ethnic groups moving into the area – from Sri Lanka, from Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Belgrave, world renowned for its Golden Mile walk famous for its Indian food, fashion and spices and jewellery shops and its annual Diwali celebrations (the largest outside India) has a community rich in harmonious diversity and cultures.
BNCHA has become an integral part of the local community, not just by providing its 378 homes but by helping to create a sense of belonging to be proud of, creating unity, respect and support for one another, in a safe, flourishing community bringing people together through its Food Hub, health and wellbeing activities, community garden, its Good Neighbour Awards, its annual community celebrations, its events and partnerships.
Building BNCHA has been a community effort, but it’s dynamic Chair – Jaimini Bharakhada – lies at the heart of many of the initiatives that have made the co-op special. Jaimini said:
“Fifty years is an incredible milestone for BNCHA, but this celebration really belongs to the tenant members who built and shaped our co-operative and 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. BNCHA is 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.”
SSHS wishes BNCHA all the best in its celebrations and the next 50 years – its great to see a tenant-led housing organisation achieving so much in the community.