Winner of the Anjool Maldé Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2023

She is a community innovator focussed on promoting positive mental health in women from ethnic minority backgrounds through of social enterprise 'Several Seats'

The Anjool Maldé Memorial Trust announced that our very own Luton Local Joan OluwaBusola Idowu is the winner of its Young Social Entrepreneur of the year 2023.

The Trust, set up in 2010 as a legacy to Anjool Maldé (1984-2009), makes annual awards with prize money to a selection of UK’s talented best young individuals with a special edge to their achievements.

Joan Oluwabusola Idowu, is the CEO and Founder of Several Seats, a social enterprise based in Bedfordshire that aims to promote positive mental health in women from ethnic minority backgrounds. Several Seats is a social enterprise that promotes positive mental health in women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

They create a safe space for peer-to-peer support and learning, where ethnic minority women have a seat at the table where they can be seen and heard. The services are informed by lived experience and provide access to different networks and opportunities for learning and development.

Their vision is for all ethnic minority women to be empowered to live happy and healthy lives. The mission is to champion, support and encourage ethnic minority women to share their stories and lived experience and normalise conversations about mental health.

The following statement was shared by Joan “As a woman of colour with lived experience of my own mental health challenges, giving back to my community is not only a pleasure but an honour. Several

"Seats have allowed me not only hear the untold stories of the women in my community but invite them to take a seat at the table to have their voices heard. I love what I do and feel inspired when our small changes make a huge impact.

"Thank you for the award and I look forward using the money to reach more community groups and grow our initiatives further”.

It is amazing to see young talent come out of Luton to create larger impacts.