The 13th Southall Community Alliance (SCA) AGM took place on 6th October 2016 at the Dominion Centre in Southall.

Traditionally the meeting provides an opportunity to hear about the work of the charity and their partners and to learn about developments in Southall.

The meeting was opened by the SCA Chair, Harsev Bains, welcoming everyone and providing a summary of the main issues affecting communities and groups in Southall.

In his remarks Mr Bains especially mentioned the rise in hate crime that had been witnessed following the Brexit referendum and which posed a challenge for the diverse communities of Ealing.

The meeting then received the annual report of SCA for 2015/16. The Manager, Janpal Basran, explained about the many hundreds of Ealing residents who had been supported to access health, learning, advice and social care services and how these beneficiaries came from all sectors of the Ealing population.

The guest speaker Dr Onkar Sahota, GLA Member, was then able to share his thoughts about changes at Ealing Hospital and developments in Southall.

The meeting hall also had information stalls from Help for Southall Street Homeless, Berkeley Group, Southall Transition, Kings Centre, Southall Day Centre, Greenfields Children's Centre and the LBE Fostering Team. These offered an insight into many of the good and positive things happening in Southall.

Finally, and in a departure from recent meetings, there were two lovely cultural performances. Both the Polish folk dance group, Zywiec, and the children from the Singh Sabha Southall Education Trust performed outstandingly and showcased the wide cultural offer that is available locally.

Photos provided by Southall Community Alliance.