Find out more about the 2019 Groundwork Community Awards Finalists. Thirty projects were shortlisted across ten categories.

Best community contribution to sport or physical activity

Bexley Mencap

Bexley Mencap supports people with learning disabilities to lead an active and fulfilling life.

Community Integrated Care Learning 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

Gympanzees (Winner)

Gympanzees was created in 2017 to provide fully inclusive leisure facilities for 0-25 year olds with disabilities and their families.

Best community garden or greenspace

Allotment Angels Of Includeme2 Club – Reidvale Community Allotments Glasgow

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

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

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.

Best community group contribution to health and wellbeing

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.

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

Community group contribution to 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 group contribution to community cohesion

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 communit

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

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

Community group contribution to education or employment

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.

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

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.

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..

Best community partnership with business

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.

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.

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.

Young community leader of the year

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

Harry Deacon

Harry Deacon, 23 is the co-founder of Cultivate Cornwall CIC, an initiative that supports the development of community groups across Cornwall..

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