Help secure our first ever community centre

West London Turkish Volunteers (WLTV) started in 2015 as a way for British-Turkish communities in west London to convene. We have since grown to provide social, cultural and educational activities and services to wider communities across west London, and are looking to secure our first ever community centre, dedicated to housing our range of community events and services.

Community service is at the very centre of who we are and what we do are WLTV. We now comprise a small founding team and a wider network of hundreds of volunteers from across local communities in west London.

Crisis Response: COVID-19 & Turkey Earthquake

We first activated our network of volunteers during the pandemic to distribute food parcels to thousands of people across London Borough of Hounslow, identified as high risk and in need by the council itself.

Most recently, we rallied in response to the earthquakes, resulting in WLTV networks receiving, sorting and packing over 1500 airline cargo containers worth of clothing donations for people impacted by earthquakes in southern Turkey. We partnered with Turkish Airlines to deliver all donations, all within a week of the disaster striking. We were honoured to be visited by King Charles III, who took a keen interest in our crisis response work at this time.

Education and Youth

Education and youth work is also important to us; young people often need dedicated support, particularly in more disadvantaged localities. WLTV provides (low-cost/free) Turkish language and Maths classes for local children and youth. We also offer career mentoring for young people within our networks, organising day trips to places such as the Google UK offices.

WLTV Events: Turkish Summer Festival and Ramadan

We started as a social initiative, creating a space in which people could come together and connect. Our Turkish Summer festival was founded in 2019, bringing together 600 people from within local Turkish communities to enjoy Turkish food, entertainment and culture. Last summer, after being separated by the pandemic, we welcomed 10,000 people from across the UK to join in the festivities with free admission. It has grown to become a fun day out for families from diverse communities.

Ramadan remains a special time for Muslim communities. WTLV also hosts iftar - meal had at the breaking of the fast - every night of Ramadan. Our iftars are open to one and all, providing meals to a diverse group of guests on any given night, free of cost. This initiative is the result of the generosity of local individuals and businesses who sponsor the meals, and builds upon the sense of community and service that is so important to us.

This year, we’re looking to secure our first ever community centre. We need to raise £1.2m by 30/10/23 .Your donations will go towards providing a dedicated home to our growing range of services and initiatives and creating a vibrant and welcoming space in which diverse communities can continue to come together.