Community Group of the Year

Love Barrow Families (Winner)

Love Barrow Families is a needs-led, grassroots organisation, co-designed by local families and supporting the most vulnerable and marginalised people in our community ranging from teenage mums and their babies to people at risk of homelessness, ex-offenders, substance misusers, people having experienced domestic abuse and the long term unemployed.

Thatto Heath Crusaders

Thatto Heath Crusaders is an amateur rugby league club situated in St Helens.  Originally founded in 1981 the club has gone from strength to strength both on and off the field since being founded, having a large social and intergenerational impact within a local community characterised by low employment and poverty.

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.

Community Leader of the Year

David Chatten-Smith (Winner)

David’s life was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with meningitis. What David found through this illness was strength to carry on but also an inner desire to help others.

Tony Wright

Tony is an Armed Forces Veteran, who has invested his efforts and working life in advocating on behalf of and supporting individuals categorised as having the most complex and chaotic lifestyles.

Kazia Knight

Kazia has enabled her community to be strong again and have a real pride in its town. By helping residents to take back their park, she has helped to create a much needed cohesive community identity.

Young Community Leader of the Year

Temi Mwale (Winner)

Temi is a truly remarkable young person. Driven by the tragic death of her close friend, she set about starting a truly youth led initiative where young people affected by serious violence can get support and be at the forefront of change in their local communities.

Liam Crorken

Liam has a disability which effects his vision and is registered blind. However, Liam is an inspiration to the estate as Chair of the Blenheim Gardens Resident Management Organisation (RMO) youth forum which meets each month to direct services for young people living on and surrounding the Blenheim Gardens Estate.

Charlotte Davis

Charlotte founded, led, publicised and taught at UH Community Garden over four years. The garden provides the opportunity for volunteers learn the principles of gardening, soil science and care for food crops.

Education or Employment

Gloverspiece Minifarm (Winner)

Gloverspiece Minifarm is an established Community Care Farm that rescues and rehabilitates animals as therapy for adults with learning difficulties.  In September 2017, the Minifarm opened a school to respond to local needs for primary special education needs.

Trinity Learning

TrinityLearning began as an outreach of one church but has grown to a team of around 70 volunteers from 12 churches and eight denominations.  The team regularly liaise with other statutory and voluntary agencies in the area to ensure as many needs as possible are met and now offer advice to other community organisations across the country, from a group wanting to offer cooking sessions in primary schools to basic mental health awareness training.

The ROOTS Project

The ROOTS project began in September 2017, to support young adult carers (YACs) to stay engaged with or re-enter education or employment.  The project tailors their approach to the client’s needs and works alongside education and employment professionals to ensure they are able to identify and support young adult carers at the earliest opportunity.

Best Green Space or Community Garden

Brickmaker’s Wood (Winner)

Brickmaker’s Wood (BMW) is a 3.5-acre urban community woodland in the centre of Ipswich, Suffolk.  Until 2015 it was unmanaged, being used for illicit actives with decades’ worth of drug related paraphernalia and fly tipped rubbish. Waste has been removed and long-term regeneration is underway.

The Fed

The Fed has been providing social care support since 1867, delivering social care services including: supported housing, mental health support, carers’ breaks, community cafe, groups for children with special needs, social work, residential, nursing and day care, including end of life care.

Oasis Community Centre & Gardens

The Oasis Community Centre & Gardens opened seven years ago with the aim of becoming the hub of community life in an area which had lost its identity as a result of a lack of facilities on the estate and surrounding area.

Health and Wellbeing

Mayfield Nurseries (Winner)

Mayfield Nurseries is a charitable social enterprise supporting people with mental health problems and dementia through horticultural therapy, peer support, work experience and training.  The group use horticulture as a platform for change and improvement, offering people the chance to build their resilience and to improve their confidence and wellbeing in order to lead a more active role in the community.

Livestock – Mothers Uncovered

Livestock is a charity that works within the community running arts groups, events and performances to support, connect, educate and entertain.  The charity’s primary project is Mothers Uncovered, which helps participants reconnect with the women they’ve always been and provides a support service through workshops and arts projects, giving participants the chance to talk honestly about their feelings and experiences, without fear of judgement.

Hannah’s Holiday Home Appeal (People’s Choice Winner)

Hannah’s Holiday Home provide free respite, memory making family breaks to children with cancer and life limiting illnesses.  Since 2006 the fantastic team have fundraised to grow and become successful.  Due to the team’s dedication and work – organising events such as annual balls, golf days, sponsored events, collection and awareness days – they have raised awareness and flourished.

Environmental Sustainability

Environment Plymouth (Winner)

Environment Plymouth are a strategic community network who have only been going for a year but have achieved a great deal in that time.  EP coordinate a network of 80 local groups and 300 individual members in Plymouth representing ‘green and sustainability’ issues. 

Fix the Fells

Fix the Fells Volunteer Lengthsmen are a group of 120 trained volunteers who support full-time National Trust upland path teams to undertake routine path maintenance and repairs to protect the spectacular Lakeland fells from erosion and damage.

Plastic Free Felixstowe

The group’s objective is to reduce the use of plastics in and around the town in response to the damage it causes to oceans and marine life through events, education and business engagement. 

Community Cohesion

CDA Herts (Winner)

The CDA Herts community garden in St Albans has been developed for communities to have their own garden areas to provide a safe space to enjoy working and support of each other.  It also welcomes other organisations to provide advice and support to garden users and use the garden to support other charities.

Awaaz FM

Awaaz FM started in 2008 and has worked to engage the local community in heritage, arts, culture and theatre projects through activities, workshops and community events.

Grow 73

Grow 73 is a community gardening group who have recently been awarded charitable status for their work to bring the different generations together through shared gardening activities, environmental improvements and events.

Best Partnership with Business

Bridgman & Bridgman (Winner)

Bridgman & Bridgman are a commercial landscape and living roof services provider   The company lead on the Don’t Rubbish Wolverton campaign, which engaged over 20 resident volunteers during the first clean-up back in 2013 to help clean up the streets.

Cultivate Cornwall CIC

Cultivate Cornwall CIC are helping hundreds of people in severe deprivation by providing opportunities that bring the community together, overcoming social isolation, building confidence and growing skills all using industry surplus textiles.

EE Contact Centre

In March 2017 EE committed to working closely with Cwm Wanderers AFC to establish a football Academy and social club for children with Autism.  From that point EE has provided everything that the academy would need to launch and establish itself as an essential community project which has dramatically changed the lives of all associated with it from the Swansea valley.

Best Project on a Social Housing Estate

The Viking Centre (Winner)

The Viking Centre project has transformed the community, which is reflected in the proven social return on investment. For every £1 spent on the project, £14.19 is reinvested into the local community.

The Attic

Providing free services including community lunches, creative workshops, community gardening, home visit befriending schemes, weekly sessions in welfare rights, adult literacy and opportunities for training and volunteering, the Attic works closely in partnership with the community, the City Council, and others to identify and tackle community need. 

Dovecote Volunteer Parent Committee

Dovecote Children & Families project is a community led, parent managed scheme delivering various services to support the development and wellbeing of children, children with disabilities and families experiencing complex issues, poverty and social exclusion.