Winners of the Groundwork Community Awards 2019 were revealed on Thursday 21 November at a ceremony designed to recognise and celebrate the work of local community heroes.
I’d like to congratulate all our finalists on winning their award and thank them for being such an inspiring voice and example for local people. It’s important that we celebrate the doers and change-makers who are working tirelessly in their local communities to improve the lives of people and sustain the services that are so important to our quality of life. We’re delighted that the Groundwork Community Awards have provided a platform to showcase the amazing work that groups across the UK are doing to make their local areas better places to live.
Graham duxbury, Groundwork national CEO
The 2019 shortlist and winners
Community Group of the Year
Springboard Opportunity Group (Winner)
Springboard Opportunity Group is a community-based charity supporting children from birth to five-years with disabilities and additional needs, and their families.
Liverpool Six Community Association
Liverpool Six Community Association is a community centre that provides a range of services for the whole community under one roof, supporting both families and individuals who are in need.
Stevenage Against Domestic Abuse
Stevenage Against Domestic Abuse (SADA) provides advice, guidance and support to individuals and their families who have experienced domestic abuse, led by victims and survivors themselves.
Community Leader of the Year
Danny Barnes (Winner)
Danny Barnes is the founder of ‘Acknowledging Youths CIC’ – an organisation that supports young people to improve their lives by providing education, training and employment opportunities.
Anna Kennedy OBE
Anna Kennedy OBE is an educational entrepreneur and founder of the Anna Kennedy Online charity that raises awareness for autism.
Garry Wakeham
Garry Wakeham is the founder of ‘Open Arms East Devon’, an organisation that works with people living with mental health illness in East Devon.
Young Community Leader of the Year
Bethan Owen (Winner)
Bethan Owen, 17, is a young carer and the founder of a not-for-profit karate club for young people in her local area.
Harry Deacon
Harry Deacon, 23 is the co-founder of Cultivate Cornwall CIC, an initiative that supports the development of community groups across Cornwall.
Mima Letts
Mima Letts is the Founder and Director of Tree Sparks, a social enterprise on a mission to dispel the myths surrounding forestry and help grow the next generation of forestry and environmental leader.
Education or Employment
The Family Trust (Winner)
The Family Trust is a Kent-based Christian children and young people’s charity. In 2018 they engaged with over 50,000 children through activities and initiatives. They are inclusive of all those with faith and those with none.
Endeavour Woodcrafts CIC
Endeavour Woodcrafts CIC is a day service for adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues that provides training and education in woodwork and crafts.
Oakwell Rise Primary Academy
Oakwell Rise Primary Academy works in strong partnership with the community to develop the education, provision and opportunities available to pupils, parents/carers, families and the wider community.
Sport or Physical Activity
Gympanzees (Winner)
Gympanzees was created in 2017 to provide fully inclusive leisure facilities for 0-25 year olds with disabilities and their families.
Disability Super League
The Community Integrated Care Learning Disability Super League gives people with learning disabilities and autism the opportunity to play an adapted version of Rugby League
Bexley Mencap
Bexley Mencap supports people with learning disabilities to lead an active and fulfilling life.
Best Green Space or Community Garden
Auchinleck Community Development Initiative (Winner)
Auchinleck Community Development Initiative (ACDI) are the driving force behind a community garden in the heart of a rural ex-coalfield village of Auchinleck.
Allotment Angels Include Me 2 Club
The Allotment Angels project is part of the Include Me 2 Club SCIO – an award-winning volunteer-led Scottish charity working with children, young people and adults who have additional support needs and disabilities.
Friends of Friarwood Valley Gardens
Friends of Friarwood Valley Gardens is a voluntary community group that was formed in 2012 to restore and preserve Pontefract’s Valley Gardens, an urban green space which had suffered decades of neglect.
Health and Wellbeing
Reach Out; Start to End Suicide (Winner)
Reach Out; Start to End Suicide’ is a campaign dedicated to the prevention of suicide, run by START, a mental health charity in Salford.
Taylor Made Dreams (People’s Choice Winner)
Taylor Made Dreams is a charity that enables children with life limiting illnesses and terminal conditions to achieve their dream.
Blood Bikes Scotland
Blood Bikes Scotland offers a free of charge transport service to NHS Lothian, Borders, Fife and Forth Valley. Via a fleet of ten specially adapted hi-viz motorbikes.
Environmental Sustainability
I’m back caring – Clean the River (Winner)
I’m Back Caring – Clean the River is a campaign to end sewage pollution entering the River Esk in Midlothian and to clean up Midlothian’s worst polluted area.
St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School
St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School ‘Eco Warriors’ are a group of highly passionate primary school children who are working to create a greener Northenden.
Surrey Wildlife Trust
For 60 years Surrey Wildlife Trust’s mission has been to restore nature across Surrey and to inspire people to value and take action for wildlife.
Community Cohesion
Vee’s Place (Winner)
Vee’s Place is a community initiative that works to bring the community closer together through a range of innovative projects.
Connors Toy Library
Connors Toy Library is a charity that provides play and stay sessions, toy loan and 1:1 support for hard to reach and vulnerable families in the local community.
Heston West Big Local
Heston West Big Local is a community group that encourages, inspires and helps local people to live healthier and happier lives.
Best Partnership with Business
Home-start Glasgow North (Winner)
Home-Start Glasgow North is a family support charity based in the North of Glasgow that supports families going through challenging times.
The Grange Centre
The Grange Centre is a charity and social enterprise for people with disabilities providing services supporting people with learning disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives.
Market Rasen Station Community Project CIC
Market Rasen Station Community Project CIC is a community group initiative that was formed to renovate the town’s former railway station for community and business use.
