5th October 2026
Leading humanitarian charity Human Appeal brought together 150 volunteers, staff and guests from London, the Midlands, the North and Scotland in Manchester this year for its third annual Purple Legacy Awards, celebrating the dedication and achievements of its volunteer community over the past year. Every year, the Purple Legacy Awards celebrate Human Appeal's top volunteers. Past winners have raised thousands, led dozens of events, and inspired entire communities.
In the first six months of 2026, 4,013 volunteers gave more than 14,300 hours of their time to support Human Appeal’s fundraising and community activities. Together, our volunteers organised and supported events and online projects that raised over £500,000 for vulnerable people around the world.
The ceremony saw 20 awards and five Ramadan prizes presented across categories recognising fundraising, leadership, community impact and long-term commitment, with keynote speech by Human Appeal’s Global Volunteers Manager Samantha Barlow.
The night's top honour, the CEO Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Ali Khalid in recognition of his sustained commitment and impact in his local community. London & South was named Top Region, reflecting its strength across fundraising, volunteer activity and growth throughout the year.
Other standout winners included Yusra Zahra (Top Intern), Sulayman Farooqi (Top UK Team Leader), and Sofia Ali & Sabrine Mussa, who took Best Volunteer Led Event for organising a fundraiser that raised more than any other event nationally. A new Dedication Award, introduced this year, was awarded to Hadi Asif for his consistent, reliable support to the charity. Aaishah Vance (Community Changemaker) was awarded for their efforts with vulnerable communities. Alishba Ahmed took the Best Newcomer award for their dedication since signing up earlier this year.
The volunteer choice award was presented to Zainab Mohammed for their recognition amongst other volunteers. Sameer Syed (Best Staff Volunteer) had dedicated countless hours volunteering at events alongside their role as a fundraising officer. For our national campaign, Wrap Up, Muhammad Hamza took the award for their dedication to the programme. Finally, the Creative Impact award was presented to Moiz Syed for their efforts on creating content as a volunteer with significant impacts.
Regional winners were also recognised for the highest combined hours and fundraising across the year, including Sofia Ali (London & South), Leena Tantawy (Midlands & Wales), Dipto Obyadur (North) and Hussain El-Ajamy (Scotland).
Regional top fundraisers were recognised for their efforts in raising money for Human Appeal’s projects, including Saffiya Majid (London & South), Sumayah Jilani (Midlands & Wales), Usman Saeed (North) and Sulayman Farooqi (Scotland).
Human Appeal is a fully independent British humanitarian charity based in Manchester, UK. It was established in 1991 as a registered and regulated UK charity that runs targeted aid relief programmes in collaboration with recognised global organisations such as the United Nations. Its purpose is to save and transform lives through emergency aid response and development programmes at home and abroad across 30 countries worldwide.
For more information visit www.humanappeal.org.uk
For media related requests please contact: press@humanappeal.org.uk
