The winners of the Weston Charity Awards have been revealed today.
The Weston Charity Awards give small charities across the North of England and the Midlands unrestricted funding plus access to strategic support and mentoring from business leaders through Pilotlight. This combined package has a proven track record with previous winners reporting multiple benefits including increased income and better leadership capabilities.
Pilotlight’s Chief Executive, Gillian Murray, says:
This is an opportunity for the Award winners to develop and hone the skills they need to ensure they can weather the storm and become more robust in today’s changing climate. They end the year-long Pilotlight programme with more resilient and adaptable organisations.
The 17 winning organisations are:
- Blackburn Youth Zone, which provides sports, art and youth work to more than 2,000 young people across Blackburn and Darwen, aimed at building confidence and raising their aspirations for the future.
- Family Help Darlington, which provides safe, temporary accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic abuse from all over the UK.
- Focus Charity in Leicester, which provides volunteering opportunities to 340 young people each year that help them contribute positively to the community and to themselves.
- Home Start Trafford and Salford, which aims to prevent family crisis and ensure children have the best possible start in life.
- Hull Children’s University, which provides learning experiences for children from low-income households aimed at giving them the opportunity to discover hidden talents and ignite their aspirations for the future.
- Jericho Foundation in Birmingham, which finds paid work experience opportunities for people who experience significant barriers to employment, such as substance misuse, mental health and disabilities.
- Learning Partnerships in Leeds, which provides opportunities and support for children, young people and adults to access education, employment, training and volunteering.
- Leeds Jewish Welfare Board in Leeds, which offers practical and emotional support for people with learning difficulties, mental health problems, physical disabilities and more.
- Mentor Link in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, which offers listening support and guidance to young people experiencing difficulties including self-harm, bullying, traumatic bereavement and family breakdown.
- Moving On in Durham, which aims to prevent homelessness in young people through the provision of a diverse range of services from advice, education and training to running its own lettings agency.
- New Vic Theatre in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, which offers a fully functioning professional theatre, and a number of educational and community services, which aim to tackle social problems head on.
- NIDAS (Nottinghamshire Independent Domestic Abuse Services) in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, which runs projects that increase the safety and wellbeing of families put at risk by domestic abuse.
- Sporting Force in Bishop Auckland, which supports veterans into work placements, social networks, and support, through the vehicle of football.
- The Welcome Centre in Huddersfield, which is a food bank that provides practical, short-term support to help local people in crisis through offering basic essentials such as food, toiletries, household items and bedding.
- Wirral Ark in Birkenhead, which provides accommodation and support for people affected by homelessness.
- YMCA North Tyneside, in North Shields and Tyne and Wear, which provides supported, transitional accommodation for young people aged 16-25 who are affected by, or threatened with, homelessness due to family breakdown or moving on from care.
- YSS in Worcester, which enables young people, adults and families who are vulnerable, have complex needs and face difficult life challenges to lead positive and constructive lives in society and to achieve their potential.