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The winners of the Social Change Awards were revealed at the fourth annual ceremony which took place in London, to celebrate the work of passionate individuals and organisations committed to making a positive impact on society.
In her opening speech, Debra Allcock Tyler, Chief Executive of Directory of Social Change (DSC) said, “These awards are a highlight of our year here at DSC. For us they represent the culmination of the work that we are trying to do and the work that you are trying to do. And importantly they are open to a public vote. DSC believes that social change comes about through the actions of millions of individuals and myriad small organisations. And this event is about recognising the huge achievements you all make towards creating a better society for all of us. “
With over 700 nominations, the judges had a challenging task short listing 3 nominees in each of the five categories from many impressive applications. Out of the 15 finalists, the winners were chosen by the public who cast over 2500 votes.
Catherine Johnstone, Chief Executive of the Samaritans presented each winner and runner-up with a unique piece of art by cartoonist Grizelda, portraying their organisation and its work. Visit http://www.socialchangeawards.org.uk/winners.html [external website] to see cartoons.
Jessie's Fund won the Great Giving Funders Award for providing musical instruments and specially tailored music training for children's hospices in the UK.
Lesley Schatzberger, who set up Jessie’s Fund in memory of her daughter said, “We were thrilled to get the award – we hadn’t been expecting it at all. We were very excited to be nominated for the award; this in itself was both a big boost and an opportunity for publicity. We know how much good work is going on by numerous charities, large and small, so there was a lot of competition. Winning a Social Change Award is a real honour, and to have the endorsement not only of a panel of distinguished judges but also of the general public means a huge amount.”
“Our plans for the coming year include bringing creative music projects to up to 1,000 children with complex needs in special schools, and for those schools who are only just being introduced to our work, I’m sure that the award will give them added confidence to pursue our partnerships with them.”
Bag Books won the Everyday Impact Award – Long-term Enterprises for their multi-sensory story books and storytellers for people with profound learning disabilities. Chief Executive, Dean Casswell, was delighted with the award, “In 17 years, this is the first award we have ever won so it's a very significant step up the ladder for us. In addition, it was voted for by the public which also makes it very special and has led to awareness about us spreading wider than ever before. Our charitable work has grown by over 50% this year and we hope to continue that expansion into the future with a number of exciting projects.”
Families United Support Help In Addiction (FUSHIA) won the Everyday Impact Award – New Enterprises for providing support and respite from the daily problems and distress caused by substance misuse to the carers and families of drug and alcohol misusers.
Julia Lalla-Maharajh who launched the Orchid Project, won the Influencer Award for her tireless campaign to free the world from the practice of female genital cutting by 2025.
Nevin Ringland from Praxis Care won the Lifetime Achievement Award for providing community care to people who have mental health problems, learning disabilities, dementia and acquired brain injury so they can live meaningful and successful lives outside hospital.
Runners up included Rudyard Sailability, Hackney Volunteer Police Cadets, Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust, MakeBelieve Arts, The BIG Bolton Fund and The Nationwide Foundation. The Influencer Award runners up were Clint Agard and Sally Gimson, while John Biggs and Joy Warmington were runners up for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Social Change Awards 2010 was sponsored by Charity Bank. Chief Executive Malcolm Hayday said, “It is inspiring to focus on the grass roots charities that are changing lives and delivering ‘Big Society’ each and every day. These awards honour the often unsung individuals and organisations that are passionately bringing about social change. Charity Bank is proud to be associated with these awards and the organisations they honour. “
The judges for Social Change Awards 2010 were Andy Garnett (CEO The Garnett Foundation), Beverly Costa (CEO Mother Tongue), Caron Bradshaw (CEO CFDG - The Charity Finance Directors' Group), Sue Billington (Consultant), Suri Ramanathan (Accountant at Charity Bank), Lesley-Anne Alexander (CEO RNIB – Royal National Institute for the blind & Chair of ACEVO).
If you wish to interview one of our award winners or need more information please contact Richard Lee, 0797 008 7207 or Jay Kennedy, 07989 187537.
Notes to editors:
• Photos and more information about the winning entries and finalists can be viewed at: http://www.socialchangeawards.org.uk/winners.html
• Directory of Social Change (DSC) is an independent national charity and the largest provider of information and training to the UK voluntary and community sector. DSC seeks to support voluntary organisations become effective agents for social change.
• This is the fourth annual Social Change Awards hosted by DSC.