LOTI Heroes is our way of recognising and honouring individuals, brands and businesses that are doing something positive for the city and the people that live here, whether it’s fighting plastic waste, breaking the cycle of homelessness, tackling food waste or advocating for diversity.
This is the fifth edition of LOTI Heroes, so there are some familiar faces amongst our Top 50 change-makers and pioneers as well as a whole host of fresh ones. As we celebrate this brilliant lot, their stories will hopefully inspire us all to do our bit to give back to the city we all call home.
OTHER YEARS 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2024
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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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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Charlie Rudkin-Wilson
With Müll Club, a refill shop and a plastic recycling hub in Brockley, Charlie Rudkin-Wilson is taking action against the scourge of single-use plastics. Part…
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Victoria Jenkins
Unhidden is a clothing brand created by Victoria Jenkins that specialises in stylish designs that are adaptive to the needs of Disabled people. Victoria is…
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Tayshan Hayden-Smith
After turning to guerrilla gardening as a therapeutic outlet following the Grenfell Tower fire, Tayshan Hayden-Smith founded Grow to Know, a non-profit organisation that works…
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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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Yvette Williams MBE
A resident of North Kensington for over 30 years as well as an experienced leader in advocating for equality, diversity, community engagement and justice -…
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Just Shelter
Just Shelter was founded by a group of friends in Earlsfield in response to the refugee crisis and as a way to provide direct aid…
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Louisa Robertson-Macleod
Plenty of zero-waste shops have popped up in the capital but they're not ubiquitous enough to make packaging-free shopping an easy and convenient choice. That's…
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Daniel Tristao
Crate to Plate is turning former shipping containers into farms capable of growing kilos and kilos of fresh leafy greens, all year round, using hydroponic…
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Sister Supporter
Founded in Ealing in 2015, Sister Supporter is a volunteer-run, pro-choice organisation committed to ending the harassment of pregnant people outside abortion clinics. Thanks to…
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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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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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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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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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Eliza Rebeiro
Founded by Eliza Rebeiro in 2007 when she was just 14, this campaign started as a simple t shirt she had made emblazoned with the…
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Emily Gussin & Sarah Smith
Friends and self-confessed feeders Emily and Sarah set up 10 Miles Club to showcase and celebrate local food producers and encourage sustainable practices. The pair…
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Jess Thompson
Migrateful is a charity and social enterprise that supports asylum seekers, refugees and migrants struggling to access employment in the UK due to legal and…
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Varun & Anisha Bhanot
The number of people sleeping rough in London accounts for almost a quarter of the entire homeless population of the UK, so it’s clear that…
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Mette Lykke
Tackling food waste is a huge part of a sustainable future, and it’s an issue that can be tackled in many ways as our list…
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Swiss
Set up by former So Solid Crew member Swiss in response to the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests, Black Pound…
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Steve Clarke & Bonita De Silva
Cafe Van Gogh is a not-for-profit vegan café and community interest organisation in Brixton, with a mission to train adults and young people with learning disabilities so…
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FoodCycle
FoodCycle is a charity that turns surplus food into nutritious meals for low-income families, those affected by homelessness, and those who can’t afford to buy…
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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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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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Douglas McMaster
As the founder of the zero-waste, closed-loop Silo in Hackney Wick, Douglas McMaster is the chef that’s probably done more than anyone else in the…
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Marie Carlisle
Based in the Trellick Tower in North Kensington, Goldfinger is all about turning waste into gold. The social enterprise transforms surplus and reclaimed materials into…
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Abi Ramanan
Papi’s Pickles is a social enterprise that produces Sri Lankan and South Indian food cooked by women from these communities who have relocated to the…
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Lucy Vincent
Food Behind Bars is the UK’s first charity dedicated to transforming the food in prisons for the better. The organisation was founded by Lucy Vincent…
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Simon Boyle
Brigade Bar + Kitchen, housed inside a Grade II-listed former fire station in London Bridge, serves up food cooked over live fire and helps bring…
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Love Not Landfill
Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, so the overconsumption of clothes that are worn only a few times before being discarded…
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Munroe Bergdorf
If you follow Munroe Bergdorf on Instagram, you’ll know how tirelessly she advocates for marginalised communities, using her platform to talk about and educate people…
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Ravneet Gill
Ravneet Gill is a pastry chef (most notably for St. JOHN, Llewelyn’s, Black Axe Mangal and Wild by Tart), author, presenter and founder of Countertalk.…
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Alice Moxley
Founded by Alice Moxley during her time on postgraduate social innovation programme Year Here, Pivot is a social enterprise that fuses her love of creating…
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Anqa Collective
An offshoot from TERN (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network), a social enterprise that provides business support to refugee entrepreneurs, including help accessing and building a network…
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Janet Oganah
Frustrated at the lack of visibility and support that independent brands run by black women and women of colour where getting in the UK (only…
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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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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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Aimée Felone
Aimée Felone, the founder of children's publishing company Knights Of, where the aim is to commission writers and illustrators from diverse backgrounds, initially created Round…
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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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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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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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Michelle Dornelly
Michelle Dornelly set up the Community Food Hub in Hackney in April 2020 when she saw how people in her borough were struggling to access…
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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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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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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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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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Harsha L’Acqua
After being inspired by her father’s philanthropic work with Mother Teresa and time spent working for international hotel brands, Harsha L’Acqua combined her dedication to…
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Mursal Hedayat
The best way to learn a new language is to practice with a native speaker, but imagine if you could do that and have a…
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Anshu Ahuja & Renee Williams
Plastic packaging from takeaway is one of the worst offenders for waste, and with our appetite for Deliveroo and Uber Eats, the problem is only…
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