JohnLeeds-based charity LATCH (Leeds Action To Create Homes) has been announced as a joint third-place winner in the nationwide Selco Community Heroes campaign, securing a £2,500 prize money to support its work transforming empty properties into homes for people in need.
LATCH renovates long-term empty and derelict houses across Harehills and Chapeltown, bringing them back into use as warm, energy-efficient homes that support individuals and families on their journey towards independence.
Ruth Frost, fundraising manager at LATCH said: “We are so pleased to have the support of so many people who believe in what we do and took the time to vote for us. The £2,500 prize money will go towards the costly refurbishment of an old neglected house in Leeds turning it into a safe supported home for a homeless person.”
Founded in 1989 as a small housing cooperative with just one house, the charity has grown to offer a wide range of opportunities for homeless and unemployed people. Today, its support workers, maintenance teams and tradespeople renovate multiple properties each year while also helping tenants with food support and wellbeing services.
“I want to say a huge congratulations to every person and organisation that took part in the Selco Community Heroes campaign,” said David Lennon, commercial director at Selco Builders Warehouse. “Every year, this campaign reminds us of the extraordinary work being carried out by organisations across the UK; the passion, commitment and resilience shown by all our finalists is truly inspiring.”
The Selco Community Heroes campaign, now in its fifth year, is one of the UK’s leading initiatives supporting grassroots charities and community groups. The 2025 campaign saw the prize fund rise to £57,500, nearly five times the amount awarded in previous years.
The top prize of £10,000 was given to Cleopatra’s Legacy CIC, a not-for-profit that provides compassionate care for local people facing breast cancer or the effects of hair loss and long-term illness. Second place went to Together for Cinema CIC, a Surrey-based charity, who won £5,000 to continue its mission in providing home cinema experiences to children’s hospices and family care locations across the UK.
The competition saw two winners in third place, with SPIN (Supporting People In Need), a charity dedicated to supporting homeless people in the community also being awarded £2,500 to help continue its vital work.
To learn more about the Selco Community Heroes Campaign and this years’ winners, you can visit their website here.
