Award for project of female empowerment

winner . . . CHAI founder Najma Khalid with the community award from the 2017 English Asian Business Awards

A GRASSROOTS project which aims to empower South Asian women in Oldham was honoured at the 2017 English Asian Business Awards.

The CHAI project won in the community award category of the English Asian Business awards.

Now in their sixth year, the awards were held at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel and celebrated the accomplishments of individuals and organisations from the Asian business community throughout England. They were hosted by BBC Radio Leicester presenter Kamlesh Purohit.

CHAI founder Najma Khalid said: "I still can't believe we have won a national award. It is such an honour. Getting Oldham and the CHAI project national recognition for the work we do is fantastic. I am so proud of all our work and all of our CHAI Ladies."

Najma set up CHAI (Care, Help And Inspire) in 2011 and the aim of the project is to empower South Asian women.

It also raises awareness of women's wellbeing and ensures mothers are better equipped to make a difference to their children, themselves and the community.

The group meets at the Greenhill Academy, in Harmony Street, Glodwick, with the second group starting last September in Horton Mill Community Primary School in Southlink, Oldham.

Najma has run many projects locally and nationally, including CHAI Ladies The Dinner Table theatre performance with the Oldham Coliseum, and a healthy cookbook with the help of Oldham Public Health and Oldham Councils Arts Development Diabetes awareness project.

Yasmin Mahmood, from event organisers Oceanic Consulting, said: "As the awards grow year on year, we see many new businesses as well as established names, put forward by the public.

"These awards are a platform for businessmen and women from across the country to receive the recognition they deserve.

"We have some truly inspiring individuals within all the categories and we wish the finalists all the best," she added.