The Local Business Charity Awards, created to thank businesses for their support of local charities, have launched in Cumbria. The awards were founded in 2014 and are active in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and North Yorkshire.
The Cumbrian awards are sponsored by insurance broker Jelf which has offices in Carlisle, Cockermouth, Kendal, Penrith and Ulverston.
To enter, Cumbrian charities must nominate a local corporate supporter via an online form. Nominations are then considered by a panel of local judges including Claire Hensman, the Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria.
Unusually for these awards, it is not the winner that receives the prize, but the charity that nominates them.
There are three awards to enter. Two main awards, which carry a £1,000 prize for the charity, and an Individual Award which carries a prize for the winner.
The main awards are divided by the income level of the nominating charity.
To qualify for entry, charities must confirm that they are local charities, not regional branches of national charities; that they have their head office in Cumbria and that they do at least 80% of their work in the county for the benefit of the county’s residents.
Charities must provide their charity number and proof of income with their nomination. Full terms and conditions of entry, including guidance on judging criteria and an explanatory video, can be found at www.localbusinesscharityawards.co.uk/cumbria
The awards to enter are:
The Jelf Award – For Cumbrian charities with an annual income of over £200,000 to nominate their best Cumbrian corporate supporter.
The Cumbrian Award – For Cumbrian charities with an annual income of under £200,000 to nominate their best Cumbrian corporate supporter.
The Individual Award – For Cumbrian charities to nominate an individual from a local business, who regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty in their support. The winner of the Individual Award will receive a £300 weekend away.
The relevant dates for the awards are:
- Open for entries: now
- Closed for entries: Monday 15 April 2019
- Finals event: Thursday 6 June 2019
All finalist businesses and charities will be invited, as guests of sponsors Jelf, to attend the finals event to be held at Sunbeams Music Centre, Penrith. Food served on the night, prepared by a local charity, will be ‘The Best of Cumbria’ consisting of food grown, sown, harvested and reared in the area provided by local suppliers.
Mark Daley, regional director at Jelf said: We are delighted to be sponsoring the Local Business Charity Awards in Cumbria for the first time this year. We hope they will become an annual event and one which will benefit the community as a whole as they grow.
“Jelf has a significant presence in Cumbria and as such we feel very much part of the community, working with, for and beside our fellow Cumbrian, as we do every day. The reality of life is that none of us are immune to needing help at one time or another and it is often these smaller local charities which provide support to individuals and families when they need it most.
“We are delighted to be able to use our sponsorship of these awards to raise the profile of not only our local charities and the vitally important work that they do but also of the outstanding Cumbrian companies that support them with deeds, time and resources that all too often go unrecognised. We would encourage all local Cumbrian charities to visit the website and find out how to get involved and we hope to see them and their nominees in the finals next year.”
The Local Business Charity Awards also runs ‘Support A Local Charity in Cumbria’ to introduce businesses to local charities who are in need of corporate support. Taking inspiration from online dating, it asks businesses and charities to list themselves as ‘in need’ and ‘willing to help’. Each party then visits the website to read all the profiles until they find a mutual match.
The scheme which was launched in July 2018 has already made two valuable matches that have generated over £4,000 worth of donated time, skills and goods to local charities from local businesses. Cumbrian companies and charities wishing to take part can sign up here.
The Cumbrian awards are now open for entries; entries close on Monday 15 April 2019.
