Birmingham project in the running for National Lottery 'Project of the Year' award
'Muslim Girls Fence' are shortlisted
Last updated 30th Sep 2022
'Muslims Girls Fence' are one of the 17 shortlisted finalists from across the UK to compete to be named as the National Lottery Project of the Year.
The project is a collaboration between Maslaha and British Fencing which aims to offer new opportunities for young Muslim women in the UK - as well as challenging stereotypes.
As well as sessions in Birmingham, they also hold sessions in London, Doncaster and Bradford.
Coach Binni told us: "It's seen as an elitist sport that is not easily accessible to a lot of communities, especially communities that are seen as hard to reach. Without these projects running, my students wouldn't think about taking part in fencing
"It's about creating something so positive and so powerful where women can actually do the unthinkable," she said.
As well as fencing, they also do workshops exploring themes of identity and self-expression through creative exercises such as collaging, drawing, photography and poetry.
Muslim Girls Fence beat off stiff competition from more than 1300 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects which do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.
The voting is now open, with winners receiving a £5,000 cash prize for their project and a National Lottery Awards trophy.
You can vote for the National lottery award project here. Voting closes on the 12th October.