It’s no secret that we love London and, for us, the reason why it’s the best city in the world is because of its people. We want to recognise and honour the individuals, brands and businesses that work tirelessly to make London what it is, and Heroes is our way of doing that. Everyone featured is doing something positive for the city and the people that live here, from fighting food waste to innovating in sustainability to advocating for diversity.
This is the seventh edition of Heroes, so our selection of 50 changemakers and pioneers features a few familiar faces as well as plenty of fresh ones for 2025. We hope by celebrating this brilliant lot and sharing their stories that even more Londoners will become inspired to give back to the city we all call home.
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Kimberley Coke
Founded in 1998, StreetSmart is a charity that raises money for people experiencing homelessness and the vulnerable by adding a voluntary £1 to diners’ bills…
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Cemal Ezel
Change Please is a social enterprise that uses coffee to tackle homelessness. Started by Cemal Ezel in 2015 with a mobile coffee cart in Covent…
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Vanessa Marx
Head Chef at B Corp-certified hotel Bingham Riverhouse, Vanessa Marx is passionate about sustainability. She uses produce from local and regenerative suppliers, celebrates seasonal and…
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Jodie Cariss
London’s lucky to have not one, not two, but five outposts of Self Space, the world’s first on-demand mental health service in the city. You…
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Emma Lundie
Enfield-based Forty Hall is not only a great vineyard making some superb English wines, but also a social enterprise. As London’s only commercial-scale vineyard they…
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The Future Plate
The Future Plate is a collective of leading Black chefs, including William J M Chilila and Ope Odutayo, who are working to put African and…
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Fadi Kattan & akub
The team at Notting Hill restaurant akub have been hosting regular #CookForPalestine supper clubs to raise money for charities like Anera, The Amos Trust and…
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Barons Court Project
A social enterprise from the team at the Barons Court Project, HomeLess Made sells products made by artists experiencing homelessness, helping them to make money…
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Dr Ronx Ikharia
Dr Ronx Ikharia is a trans and non-binary A&E doctor, TV presenter, mentor and activist. Dr Ronx studied medicine at Kings College – paying their…
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Justin Byam Shaw
When their son Felix died suddenly from meningitis, Jane and Justin Byam Shaw decided to commemorate him by founding The Felix Project. Taking inspiration from…
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Anna Søgaard & Kim McBride
Chef Anna Søgaard and sommelier Kim McBride met whilst working together at Erst in Manchester, and they decided to combine their feminism and love for…
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Angelo van Dyk
We’re all familiar with surplus food and making dishes from leftover or waste ingredients but did you know the same thing applies to wine? Many…
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East London Mushroom Collective
East London Mushroom Collective very much does what it says on the tin - growing mushrooms in east London, and establishing a local food network…
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Nathaniel Mortley
Nathaniel Mortley, aka Natty Can Cook, grew up in Peckham with acute ADHD and began his cheffing career as a way to stay off the…
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Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir
The Common Press came as a very welcome addition to the Shoreditch community, opening in 2021 in response to many queer and Black-owned businesses shutting…
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Hugo Worsley
Plastic waste is a huge issue across almost all areas of society but the hospitality industry is a particularly bad offender – despite recycling efforts,…
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Matt & Jess Turtle
Co-founders Matt & Jess Turtle are behind the Museum of Homelessness, the first museum of its kind in the UK and one that is led…
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Taz Khan MBE
As a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, Taz Khan knows how to cook but it's through London's Community Kitchen that's he really feeding people. Working to the…
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The Clink Charity
The Clink is one of the most unusual restaurants in London. As well as serving up tasty meals to diners, the aim of the restaurant…
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Anna Sebastian
Anna Sebastian knows the hospo industry inside out, having worked in Mayfair nightclubs; managed The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy and Artesian at The Langham;…
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Flora Blathwayt
After taking part in a beach clean before the pandemic and realising both the mental health and environmental benefits it brought, Flora Blathwayt founded Washed…
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Sarah Vachon
Ever thought about how the olive oil on your kitchen counter or the supermarket shelf got there? Sarah Vachon does - a lot. She was…
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Lauren Scott-Harris
Launched by Lauren Scott-Harris in 2022, EARNT is a platform that connects the dots between brands, consumers and causes by rewarding people who help out…
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Ali Alzein
You might be able to guess what Bees & Refugees do from the name, but we’ll fill you in any way. Founded by Syrian refugee…
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Tobie-Anna Durk
Following the death by suicide of her dear friend and fellow chef Kelly, Tobie-Anna Durk set up Kelly's Cause, a mental health charity focused on…
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Pranav Chopra
Trampoline is a cafe with a powerful mission. Not only does it serve expertly-made coffee and delish hot meals, like curries and thalis from Yogi’s…
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Lorraine Copes
Lorraine Copes founded the not-for-profit organisation Be Inclusive Hospitality in response to the underrepresentation of people of colour in the food, drink and hospitality sectors.…
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Razzak Mirjan
Beder FC is a football club that aims to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention. It was started as part of an initiative…
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Daze Aghaji
You may recognise her as one of the housemates from the 2024 season of Big Brother but Daze Aghaji is much more than just a…
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Andrea Cheong
Feel like you never have anything to wear? Andrea Cheong is here to change that. A former fashion influencer and host of the Kering podcast…
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George the Poet
Poet, spoken-word artist, writer and activist George the Poet uses art as a way to tackle important social and political issues, and explore topics like…
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Lucy Hollis
For Lucy Hollis and GROW, an agroecological farm at The Totteridge Academy in Barnet and a community garden in Grahame Park, healthy soil, thriving plants…
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Martyn Odell
Martyn Odell has been a chef since the age of 15 and has worked across a whole range of kitchens and food spaces, from restaurants…
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Marie Mitchell
British-Caribbean chef and cultural practitioner Marie Mitchell uses food and nourishment as way to explore themes like history, geography and politics. Her debut cookbook Kin:…
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Ash Juggessur
Known as @cheffingwithash on socials, Ash Juggessur uses food and cooking to teach kids valuable life skills and how to make nourishing food, to help…
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Are You Mad
Waste design studio Are You Mad is all about making recycling visible and applying a creative approach to circularity by taking the city's plastic waste…
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Lisa Donohue
Founded in 2012, KERB has become one of the biggest names in street food, growing from a lunchtime market in King’s Cross to an organisation…
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Drew Demetry
NAFS is an online platform celebrating the queer SWANA (South West Asian, North African) community and reclaiming its stories through art, nightlife and cultural resistance.…
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Home Kitchen London
Soup Kitchen London has been supporting the capital’s homeless community for almost thirty years, and last year the team partnered with Michelin-starred chef Adam Simmonds…
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Sistah Space
Since 2015, Sistah Space has been providing support that meets the specific needs of African and Caribbean-heritage women affected by domestic and sexual abuse. The…
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Anna Hemmings
Smart Works, run by CEO Anna Hemmings, is a UK-based charity that provides unemployed women with the clothing, coaching and confidence they need to secure…
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Ollie Olanipekun & Nadeem Perera
Starting life as a birdwatching club for people of colour, Ollie and Nadeem have grown Flock Together into a global collective that opens up nature…
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Mahnoor
As well as being a DJ, Mahnoor also runs SUP? Supper Club, an initiative that champions displaced communities and challenges the negative perception of refugees…
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Dan Edelstyn & Hilary Powell
Artists and filmmakers Dan and Hilary are tackling both the climate and cost-of-living crises with their project POWER STATION. It began with the pair spending…
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Joseph Galliano-Doig
The Queer Britain charity was co-founded by former Gay Times editor Joseph Galliano-Doig in 2018 with the mission of establishing the UK’s first museum dedicated…
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Riaz Phillips
Author, food writer and photographer Riaz Phillips is responsible for opening up a wider conversation about representation and diversity in food media in this country.…
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Patrick Dumas & Johnno Ransom
After noticing all the untapped potential of rooftop space in London, Patrick and Johnno set up a farm on one in Paddington, with the idea…
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Max Tobias
Max Tobias is one of the co-founders of The Dusty Knuckle, one of London's best bakeries known for its doorstop sarnies, epic pizza nights and…
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Alice Williams
Luminary Bakery isn't just our local bakery, but one of our favourites in all of London - and not just because they make some of…
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Bianca Tavella
Fair Shot is a registered UK charity that works to transform the lives of young adults with learning disabilities by equipping them with all the…
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