The sparkling
World Heart Beat Music Academy won Best Charity/Social Enterprise at the Wandsworth Women’s Enterprise Awards 2024, held yesterday as part of

Women’s Enterprise Day at The Roehampton Club, SW15.

World Heart Beat opened its doors in 2012 in a disused converted warehouse on Kimber Road to be a beacon of excellence and
joy, embracing a myriad of musical cultures where children and young people can have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, and be guided to play alongside World Class Musicians in ensembles featuring the Celtic fiddle, Indian Tablas, Songwriting,
Jazz, Latin, Chamber music, gig training bands and also music production and engineering.

Today, some 460 young people attend each year to learn music and have made World Heart Beat their artistic home. In 2023 World
Heart Beat expanded into the regeneration area of Battersea and Nine Elms to become a ‘Cultural Anchor’ in the community. World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens offers a music education venue, but also a state-of-the-art concert hall, world class recording studios
and a beautiful cafe.

The academy particularly supports those from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds, and over half of its young musicians
learn for free on bursary support, with instruments provided. The academy has an ‘open door’ policy that welcomes any young person, from any background, interested in learning music. Through funding, donations and sponsorship, World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens
has the facilities and training programmes in place to give musicians close to starting their careers opportunities to progress their music and wider arts ambitions.

Sahana Gero MBE, Founder and Artistic Director of World Heart Beat, said:

“It is a huge honour to receive this accolade of Best Charity in this year’s Wandsworth Women’s Enterprise Awards. I set
up World Heart Beat to address the lack of affordable music tuition available to disadvantaged young people, and with the aim of opening career pathways into the music and wider creative industries. At World Heart Beat we have a place that can offer oneness,
joy and a real sense of community where musicians and music lovers can engage in the transformative power of music and culture.”