The Coronation Champions AwardsLink opens in a new window celebrate extraordinary volunteers across the country who've been contributing to their communities - and Nor Aziz, an alumna, partner in our community engagement work and one of Warwick Institute of Engagement's Regional Fellows, has been named as a winner! We spoke with Nor to hear more about her brilliant community work in Canley.

Hi, Nor! Congratulations on being recognised as one of just 500 Coronation Champions. Can you tell us how you began your volunteering work – first in general, and then more specifically with Canley?

My volunteering mission started during a seven-year spell as Sustainability Administrator at Kingston University. As I commuted to work, I found I was spending less and less time at home in Coventry. I was very active in the Kingston community through my work and one day a thought came: why not do that where I live and where my kids are?

I left Kingston in 2014 and came home to found Uniting Communities with my Canley neighbours, Anna Marie and Junita. The reason we set up this volunteer-led organisation was because we saw pockets of marginalised groups and individuals. We kickstarted small things to reach out to individuals – for example cooking their favourite curry.

Following the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015, our mission became even more important. Canley has many students from South East Asia and there are a lot of Muslims here with hijabs who were seen as a bit of a threat. We wanted to show people what real Muslims are like. In response to this, we kickstarted Canley Popupcafe. It's a neutral space for people to get together and share stories over homemade meals and craft activities. I helped to secure funds from West Midlands Police, Heart of England and Coventry City Council to organise regular events. The first community Big Lunch took place in 2016, and soon became an annual Canley event.

You work in teams and with other volunteers, often building support among potential partners from the get-go – can you share a little more about this strength in numbers?

To me, it's about leveraging. I learned about this strength from my doctoral project (Industrial and Business Studies, 2006) - I saw how a group of small companies supplying automotive components for catalytic converters beat the adverse effects of international environmental legislation impacted on them. They had a very short time to respond and they managed by sharing and relying on each other's skills and knowledge to reduce accrued manufacturing costs.

Similarly, in making a difference in Canley, we rely on each other’s resources to realise our dreams to happen in a very short space of time. The most important element is a ‘gatekeeper’ to gain access to existing projects/initiatives that are taking place on the ground – it can be a person, a group, a steering group, a newsletter or a hobby group.

In your view, which projects have created the most impact for Canley, and why?

It was the Planning For Real project. It's been my dream for stakeholders in Canley working together collectively, championing common interests. Planning for Real was a genuine effort, engaging with the grassroots and giving people the voice to talk about the place where they live, work, study and play. It laid out the foundation for collective working that's based on trust.

How did the Covid pandemic affect the work you were doing in Canley – and have things been able to return to a relative state of normal since then?

This was when teamwork was utilised to its fullest.

• I had some grant money from various sponsors.
• Anna Marie, Canley Community Centre Manager, knew the marginalised people who needed the most - information I didn't have access to.
• Kim Waite from Warwick Volunteers and Marcus Lapsa, the Westwood ward councillor, both had free time and could drive, which Anna Marie and I couldn't.

We helped to kickstart Canley Food Hub and the amazing work done by volunteers during the pandemic continues to serve the community to this day.

Describe the Canley community in three words.

‘A meadow in spring’. Sorry, it's more than three words!

Can you tell us about any plans or projects you’ve got lined up for the future?

In the next six months I'll be engaging with Black and South Asian community groups in Foleshill to set up a team and deliver Festival of Lights in November this year. I'll be using my skills and experience sitting on the steering group for Warwick Art Centre's Playing OutLink opens in a new window programme and delivering the Canley Parade for the past three years. Also, I will be collaborating with Professor Eric Holub from Warwick's School of Life Sciences to engage with community groups across our city to promote heritage beans, to introduce the new heirloom variety for heathier diets that combine with other home-grown ingredients.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or recognise in connection with this award?

I am deeply indebted to Ben Hayday (Community Partnerships Manager, Strategy Group), my mentor Gemma Wright (Head of Creative Learning, Warwick Arts Centre), and Warwick's Vice-Chancellor Stuart Croft for making the time to write up the application, and thinking of me as a suitable person to nominate in the first place.