The individuals and groups who give their time to making a difference in the community were celebrated at the annual Balham and Tooting Community Association (BATCA) awards.

The awards, which took place in Jasmine's Hall, in Upper Tooting Road, Tooting, awarded dozens of volunteers for their hard work on Thursday evening.

More than 200 people attended the ceremony to celebrate community heroes, with the event bringing together a variety of different faith groups.

MP for Tooting Sadiq Khan presented awards to the winners, while those attending were treated to a performance from choir The Great Gustos.

Among the winners were the Tooting town centre manager, Audrey Helps and Shamim Osman, of the Memon Community Organisation Ladies Group.

Tony Holland, Scout leader of the Fourth Tooting and Balham Group, was awarded for his commitment to the group.

He has been involved with the group since a cub and then a leader from the age of eight.

Reena Patel, of Nilkanrai newsagents, was awarded for going the extra mile and knowing the names of her customers.

The Tooting Community Garden Project, in North Drive, Tooting, and Gatton Primary School scooped an award for their joint work in bringing a garden to life.

Mr Khan said: "Only in Tooting will you find Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Jews coming together to celebrate our local community heroes in one room.

"It was great to see so many people come along and pay tribute to those in our community who often do not get the recognition they deserve.

"Well done to BATCA who have put on yet another excellent event that again demonstrates the best of Tooting, our diversity and our sense of community spirit.

"This does not happen by chance, but thanks to open mindedness and hard work from us all. It was a night to be yet again proud of our community."