Tag: charity awards

Scottish charities celebrate share of £1million fund

17 charities based in Scotland are celebrating today after receiving donations of £1,000 each as part of Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards.

For the fifth year running, Benefact Group is giving away over £1million to charities through its Movement for Good Awards. Members of the public were invited to nominate causes close to their hearts, with 150 awards of £1,000 announced today. 

Cat Concern, a charity that helps to rehome cats, The Saturday Café Club, a charity offering young disabled children fun activities, and Touch of Love Outreach, a charity that helps support families in Aberdeen experiencing real hardship, are some of the charities set to benefit from the money, following overwhelming public support in the country.

Kind-hearted Scottish residents donated their time and submitted more than 24,500 nominations for charities close to their hearts, with over 1,200 causes receiving votes.

More than 15,000 charitable causes in the UK and Ireland received votes, thanks to over 250,000 nominations from supporters. The 150 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated, following 150 previous winners being selected in June. Further donations will be awarded throughout the year.

Since the awards began, nearly 2million people have nominated and made a difference to communities all across the UK and Ireland with more than £5million given to over 2,500 charities. 

This year, 420 charities will be awarded £1,000 donations, while 40 good causes will be awarded £5,000 via special grants throughout the year, aimed at helping charities in specific sectors. Winners will be drawn at random and the more times a charity is nominated the more chance it has of being selected.  Further donations totalling £500,000 will also be given in larger amounts later this year.

To find out how to support the Movement for Good Awards and to nominate a cause you care about visit www.movementforgood.com.

Thanking supporters in Scotland, Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive of Benefact Group, said: “We would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause as part of our Movement for Good Awards.

“Benefact Group is the third largest corporate donor in the UK and has an ambition to be the biggest. Owned by a charity, all of its available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give.

“We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”

Full list of winning Scottish charities:

  • Accord Hospice
  • Aunchenblae Pre-School Group
  • Burntisland and District Pipe Band
  • Cat Concern
  • Edinburgh Tamil Sangam
  • Group for Recycling in Argyll and Bute Trust Limited
  • Kenyawi Kids
  • Mearns Kirk Helping Hands
  • Neighbourhood Watch Scotland 
  • PLUS (Forth Valley) Ltd
  • Saving and Rehoming Strays 
  • Scottish Badgers 
  • Start-Up Stirling
  • Stronger Together for Autism and Neurodivergence 
  • The Maggie Fleming Animal Hospice
  • The Saturday Café Club
  • Touch of Love Outreach

Benefact Group has donated almost £200million to charitable causes since 2014 and has been recognised as the third biggest corporate giver in the UK1. The organisation aims to reach £250million in donations by 2025.

Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.

Scottish residents urged to nominate a charity to receive share of £1 million 

Residents in Scotland can nominate a good cause to receive £1,000 as part of Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards.

Now in its fifth year, the Movement for Good Awards will once again see more than £1million gifted to charities up and down the UK and Ireland. 

Since the awards began, people in Scotland have submitted over 141,400 nominations and 179 Scottish based charities have benefited from valuable donations. 

While the pandemic and the current economic climate has had an adverse effect on cash donations, the amount of people choosing to volunteer their time for a good cause is rising.

Scottish residents can now give a minute to nominate a charity online at www.movementforgood.com.

The Movement for Goods Awards has gifted over £4million to charities in the UK and Ireland since the initiative started.

Winners will be drawn at random and the more times a charity is nominated the more chance it has of being selected. 150 winning charities will be announced from 1 June, with a further 150 revealed in September. Further gifts will be awarded throughout the year.

Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive at Benefact Group, says: “We are immensely proud to be supporting many hundreds of charities through our Movement for Good Awards for the fifth year running.

“We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference so we’re asking that people give a minute of their time to nominate a cause they care about to receive an award.

“Owned by a charity ourselves, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do and all of our available profits go to good causes. With financial strain continuing to impact many households the Movement for Good Awards represents a great way for people to continue to support causes close to their hearts, without worrying about an additional cost.

“Any charity can win no matter how large or small and even with just one nomination. So find a minute, jump online and nominate – because that small amount of time is invaluable for charities.”

Benefact Group has donated almost £200million to charitable causes since 2014 and has just been recognised as the third biggest corporate giver in the UK2. The organisation aims to reach £250million in donations by 2025.

Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.

Visit www.movementforgood.com to nominate a charity now.

MND Recognition at Scottish Charity Awards

MND Scotland chairman Lawrence Cowan has been shortlisted for an SCVO Scottish Charity Award, which pays tribute to the inspiring individuals who help transform our society every day. 

This year has been monumental in our fightback against MND – January saw the launch of the UK’s biggest MND drugs trial, thanks to the many fundraisers, researchers and leaders in our community.  

Lawrence is in the running for the ‘Charity Champion’ award because of everything he has done both personally and professionally in the fightback against MND.

Lawrence’s best friend Gordon Aikman died of MND when he was just 31 years old. Gordon spent the time he had left campaigning for the rights of people affected by MND and fundraising to find a cure. Before Gordon died, Lawrence made a promise to do everything he could to help bring drugs trials to Scotland. This year that promise became a reality.

Personally, Lawrence has helped raise over £700,000 for cutting-edge research, and during his leadership as MND Scotland’s chairman, the charity achieved its highest income to date and invested £1.5 million into the pioneering drugs trial MND-SMART – the largest investment into research the charity has ever made.  

Through this nomination, Lawrence is now being recognised for his contributions to the cause and is following in the footsteps of his late friend, who won this award in 2016. 

Lawrence said: “This year we’ve made an historic leap forward in our fightback against MND. A few years ago drug trials for people with MND in Scotland were just a dream. Now almost everyone will be able to get on a drug trial in Scotland.  

“We’re now at the cutting edge of treatment trials in the UK. We got here through people moving mountains for those they love – and those they’ve lost. This nomination is for everyone in our MND community who have made history and I hope I can do them proud on the night.” 

Lawrence is joined by MND charities My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Euan’s Guide, who have also been shortlisted for awards.  

The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which has been nominated for Charity of the Year, was founded by rugby legend Doddie Weir OBE. Since his diagnosis in 2016 he has spent his time raising awareness of the disease by sharing his story and raising funds to find a cure. The foundation has also donated £280,000 to MND Scotland’s grants programme, to help families in Scotland who are struggling financially because of MND.  

Euan MacDonald, also shortlisted in the Charity Champion category, was diagnosed with MND in 2003 and driven to help find a cure, he established the Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research. This centre at the University of Edinburgh is home to the clinical drugs trial MND Scotland helped fund. As a powerchair user, Euan also founded the charity Euan’s Guide, a disabled access review website which gives disabled people the information they need to visit places with confidence. 

Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive of SCVO, said: “Much of the work celebrated this year predates the pandemic.  All aspects of our lives have been disrupted in 2020. Our communities and the charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises they rely on have been under enormous pressure.

“Scotland’s voluntary sector has never been more needed and will be essential to Scotland’s recovery. At SCVO we know that fantastic work is going on all the time and we are delighted to celebrate these achievements and successes through the Scottish Charity Awards.

“This year’s shortlist of 45 finalists showcases just how diverse our voluntary sector is, and highlights the fantastic work that has been going on across the country since the last Awards until March this year.

“The Awards are a great way of celebrating and recognising the people and organisations who make our voluntary sector a crucial part of every part of life in Scotland. Our finalists are fantastic and I would encourage everyone to support their favourite by voting in the People’s Choice Award.”

Cast your vote!

Lawrence, Euan and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation are also in with a chance of winning the People’s Choice Award which is decided by a public vote.

So give MND your vote by Friday 4th September at 5pm: https://scvo.org.uk/scottish-charity-awards/finalists-2020. 

The results will be announced on Friday 25th September. 

Charity search for local community heart heroes


Entries to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart Hero Awards 2020 are now open and the charity is asking people to nominate their local heart hero.

The awards recognise the different ways people are helping beat heartbreak from heart and circulatory diseases. This could be through fundraising, volunteering or helping patients and their families.

This year there are three categories: Healthcare Hero, Young Heart Hero and the Inspiration Award.

The Healthcare Hero award will recognise a doctor, nurse, or person working in a healthcare setting who has made a special effort to make a difference to the life of a heart patient or their family.

The Young Heart Hero award will go to an exceptional person under the age of 18 years who has done something remarkable for the BHF, perhaps overcoming personal challenges.

The Inspiration award will recognise a person who inspires others through their determination and dedication. That could be through their fundraising efforts, taking part in a physical challenge, organising an event, or volunteering activities.

Nominations are open until Saturday 29 February at bhf.org.uk/heartheroes.

The winners will be announced at a very special gala awards dinner in London in September 2020.

The 2019 award winners included Team Chris Murray from Glasgow, who took part in the BHF’s 100km Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek. Chris Murray, who had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, was just 22 when he died in 2017. Around 30 family and friends took on the BHF’s 100km Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek in his memory, raising more than £15,000 to fund life saving research.

David McColgan, Acting Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Heart and circulatory diseases affect the lives of thousands of families across Scotland, often in devastating ways. Yet there are so many ordinary people who, when confronted with that challenge, are doing extraordinary things.

“The BHF’s Heart Hero Awards recognise and celebrate the efforts of those who are working selflessly to make life better for other people, like the Murray family and their friends.

“If you know someone who is making a difference, please put them forward for an award so that their contribution can be recognised.”

https://www.bhf.org.uk/heartheroes

Craigroyston Primary project is Charity Times Award finalist

A literacy programme at Craigroyston Primary School is in the running for a national award. The pioneering programme jointly ran by Scottish Book Trust and Scottish Gas has been announced as a finalist at the Charity Times Awards. Continue reading Craigroyston Primary project is Charity Times Award finalist

Celine shines at Scottish Charity Awards

The Yard’s Celine is leading light at Charity Awards 

Charities and individuals from across Scotland have been recognised for the life-changing difference they make at the 2017 Scottish Charity Awards, which took place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre last night. Among the winners was The Yard’s Celine Sinclair, who won the Leading Light award. Continue reading Celine shines at Scottish Charity Awards

Spartans in the running for national award

charity-awards-so-whos-your-favourite

One of North Edinburgh’s best known and most respected community organisations has been short-listed for a national award. The Spartans Community Football Academy is one of thirty projects from across the country in the running in this year’s Scottish Charity Awards – and you can vote for your favourite in the People’s Award.

Organised and staged by the Scottish Community and Voluntary Organisation (SCVO), the awards celebrate all that is best in Scotland’s third sector, recognising our country’s most innovative and effective people and organisations

Spartans is one of thirty organisations to have progressed to the final round of the Scottish Charity Awards, and an impressive ‘not so shortlist’ includes major national organisations, community groups, partnership projects and individuals who have channelled their energies into supporting their communities and making Scotland a better place to live.

spartans

The Spartans Community Football Academy (above) has become a key part of the fabric of north Edinburgh, offering sport, education and leisure opportunities to thousands of children and young people from North Edinburgh and beyond. Based at Ainslie Park, SCFA is succinctly summed up by Alastair Davis, the chief executive of Social Investment Scotland: “we never fail to be impressed, inspired and overwhelmed by the impact of Spartans. Their quality, dedication and passion sets them apart”. SCFA has been nominated in the Sporting Chance category.

Joining Spartans on the shortlist is another great local project, Leith-based The Junction (below). The Junction youth group and Port of Leith Housing Association got together to create purpose-built – and very popular – new premises for young people aged 12-21, offering counselling, health advice and support to young people.

junction

For a full list of nominees and to vote for your favourite project in The People’s Award visit  www.scvo.org.uk/charity-awards 

Twitter user? It’s #ScotCharityAwards 

The glittering awards ceremony, hosted by Kaye Adams, takes place at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on 5 June. Good luck to all the candidates – but really, you’re all winners already.