The WCCA Award for Services to ABS goes to Kavita Dhande!

The recipient for this year’s WCCA Award for Services to ABS is Kavita Dhande, ABS Ambassador. Kavita joined ABS as an Ambassador in January 2023 and has since been one of our strongest advocates and fundraisers. Kavita has raised nearly £15,000 for our work in sponsorship and from 2 flagship new events in Birmingham which will be going ahead again this year. These events (a pub quiz and Sip and Paint evening) were both sold out and saw a combined 150+ people come together to fundraise and raise awareness of our work. Her enthusiasm and commitment to raising awareness and fundraising within the Birmingham architectural community has further galvanised our Ambassador Programme and we have seen a fantastic growth in regional events, with a speed mentoring event in Glasgow, quizzes and sip and paint parties in Newcastle and the Big London Quiz.

Kavita and ABS have continued to grow the relationships with key sponsors in West Midlands, which has led to the launch of our first regional sponsor programme bringing together 7 organisations to support the new Birmingham events. Kavita has been a fantastic addition to the ABS Ambassador team with incredible drive and enthusiasm, which has had far reaching impact on our work and support of the architectural community.

Nigel Ostime of Hawkins/Brown was the designer for the 2024 plate for the WCCA Award for Services to ABS, He says:
The shapes represent houses and the colours are the rainbow flag representing diversity and inclusion. Housing and diversity and inclusion are things that Kavita has an interest in professionally and through her work with organisations like the BAA. The degradation of the colours represents homelessness which is a theme the WCCA will be focusing on in coming years, working with Prince William’s charity Homewards.
The rectangles of the houses are golden sections. As all designers know, the golden section is a ratio commonly found in nature: in plants, shells – and people, as well as a commonly used proportional system in architecture.

In the picture:
Richard Beer, ABS Development Manager
Richard Brindley, ABS Trustee
Kavita Dhande, ABS Ambassador and 2024 recipient of the WCCA Award for Services to ABS
Mark Grzegorczyk, ABS Chairman of Trustees
Jessica Steele, ABS Senior Partnerships Executive
Katie V. ABS Acting CEO